Their Little Secret
by starfoxtwin
Summary: This story takes place the same day that the Captain, Dr. Scot and the extraction team return successfully from the Vyerni at the end of episode 8 of the TV, Show, The Last Ship.
1. Chapter 1

**Their Little Secret** (takes place after the return from the Vyerni – 8)

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own The Last Ship

This takes place after the episode 8, the return from the Vyerni.

As angry as he had been at Mike for risking Dr. Scott, he had to admit that the plan had worked like clockwork and could only have been called a success. He had to commend Mike, as the acting Commander of the ship.

They had succeeded in taking out the Russians as a threat. It could not have happened without the kiss and Dr. Scott's participation. That was key, but his head was swimming with how many things could have gone wrong. He could not berate Mike. They had a potential cure and passing the note and blade this way, though so very risky, was, he had to admit, brilliant. He would later let Mike know Dr. Scott was never to be risked again.

Captain Chandler was winding down from the fierce activity over the last few days. He and Tex had practically no sleep since the day of the mission to rescue Bertrice. He knew he was totally exhausted, but his mind was still running over all that had happened. He was taking the much needed shower before he could even think of sleeping. He wished the soap could rid him of the memory of the killing, but he knew he would just have to live with that.

He stayed longer in the shower, letting the hot water beat against his aching muscles. His mind was running through what had happened. He and Tex had been swimming for hours in the ocean, before they were picked up by the Russians and taken in handcuffs, to the Vyerni, their clothing still wet from the salt water. His eyes stung from the fatigue and the skin on his face felt tight and hot from the sunburn and the salt. After he was brought to Ruskov, of course, the Admiral contacted Mike on the Nathan James and told him he wanted Dr. Scott and her work or he would torture Tex and himself, until she was turned over to him.

He heard Ruskov give Mike only 10 minutes to give him an answer. He was taken below to join Tex, who was already sitting on the floor of the brig. He did not tell Tex what Ruskov planned to do to them. He knew that he had made it clear to Mike that under no circumstances would Doctor Scott be given to Ruskov. He knew Mike would try to get them out, but short of that, he had resolved that his ship would be safe as long as Dr. Scott remained on board and he was steeling himself to be ready to die if necessary, though he did not want to even think about what Ruskov might have in store for them. He didn't think they would have long before it started.

When later that night, he and Tex had been handcuffed again and were taken up to Ruskov's dining area, he knew he had only minutes before it would begin and he clenched his jaw against what he thought was coming. The door was opened and he looked down at his handcuffs, wishing he was free to do something.

When he looked up, ready to face Ruskov, he could not believe his eyes. He relived in his mind what happened next, something he would never be able to forget. To his utter shock, Dr. Scott was standing there, only a few feet away. He blurted out, in total disbelief and rage, "What the hell are you doing here?"

He remembered thinking Mike had actually sent her here against his orders. They had discussed this together. Dr. Scott was never to be risked.

When his eyes met hers, he saw the sudden look of relief and a softness that passed so quickly, he wondered if he had only imagined it. He then saw the utter look of determination when she suddenly, before he could say another word, launched herself at him, her arm going around his neck, her fingers pressing the back of his neck so that his head bent down and his mouth met hers in the most incredible open mouthed kiss.

He could still feel her lips on his and how he had understood, almost immediately that she was trying to pass him something and the part he was to play in what was happening.

He kept his lips open as did she, in what seemed the most passionate kiss. He was moving his head and his lips to help her. He could feel her desperation and it became his also to make this happen. He remembered that in this kiss, it was almost as if they were one, joined with the same intensity of purpose and when it was accomplished and he tucked the item under his tongue, he felt like he did not want to give up that connection and there was something they shared for the seconds before they were forcibly separated by the Russian Guards. He felt his lips pulled away from hers, like a seal being broken. He remembered exactly how every second of that kiss felt. He could not put it out of his mind, but somehow, he needed to forget it. He had to forget it.

He remembered how that very intensity had absolutely convinced Ruskov that he and Dr. Scott were lovers and that this was why she came so quickly to his ship. Ruskov thought that she was willing to sacrifice herself rather than having to endure seeing the man she loved tortured and killed.

He knew Ruskov was congratulating himself because he now knew that he could use the threat of torturing him, to get Dr. Scott to do whatever he wanted. He remembered wondering if Mike had considered the downside of this little scenario. At the time, he was still furious at Mike for sending her and risking her like this.

He himself knew that the kiss had been convincing, because Tex was berating him all the way back to the Brig, by reminding him that he was a married man and Navy at that. He did not get him to stop until he removed the note and the blade from his mouth, when they were returned to the brig and they had read it. They were to be at the Ladder room at 0400. They had been given all the tools they needed, the time, the place and the blade. He and Tex used the remainder to the time they had left before 0400 to plan and execute their escape from the brig.

He ran through the rest of the escape and the battle in his mind, how they had gotten Dr. Scott, Kelly and Ava off the ship. His brow creased with regret at his memory of how Cosetti had given his life to save all of them, including his ship and shipmates.

The shower had relaxed him and as he walked back to his quarters, he knew he should go up to the bridge. He entered his quarters and walked into the bedroom area. He started to take off what he had taken to the shower to change into, but he needed a complete change of clothing to go to the bridge. As he dropped his last piece of clothing on a chair, suddenly all he had been through caught up with him. He thought "If I can only sleep for a few minutes, I'll be fine. Just a few minutes and then I will get dressed. He fell onto his bed, covering himself with the sheet and was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow.

….

Hours later, when the Captain had missed dinner, that evening, Mike thought he'd better check on him. He had not really expected him to come up to the bridge. He could tell the Captain was totally exhausted, as was Tex. They both had been in the water for hours before the Russians had picked them up. Dr. Rios had made sure they were given water and some liquid nutrition, before they went for their showers, but they all needed sleep. The full debriefing could wait until Captain Chandler was ready. Still Mike felt he needed to check on the Captain. He went to his quarters and knocked. There was no answer. He knocked again with the same result. He opened the door and stepped into the Captain's quarters. He called to him, but there was only silence. He stepped farther into the main room to where he could see into his bedroom. He could see the Captain on his bed. He seemed really out of it. He had been through hell and had no sleep for a vey long time.

He had never known the Captain not to answer a knock at his door and if he was ever asleep, he would always awaken immediately. This was different.

He left his quarters and closed the door. After he got back up to the bridge, he called Dr. Rios. He asked him to look in on the Captain. He said he was not waking up when called. Mike said "I just want to make sure he is alright."

Dr. Rios said that he was in the Engine room where one of the crew had fallen and had a bad cut on his arm. He needed stitches. It was not serious, but he would be tied up for a while. Rios told Mike to see if Dr. Scott could take a look at the Captain. He might have developed a fever after all the hours he and Tex had spent in the Ocean. He said he is probably totally exhausted. I needed to examine both the Captain and Tex after their captivity, but I wanted to give them a chance to get cleaned up and to get some sleep."

Mike sent one of the crew to bring Dr. Scott to the Bridge. After a short time, she was in front of him. He told her he was a bit worried about Captain Chandler and how Dr. Rios has asked her to check on the Captain for him, since he was busy in the Engine Room. He told Dr. Scott that Rios wanted her to check for possible fever.

Dr. Scott said that of course she would check on the Captain. She knew he had been exhausted and running on what was left of his adrenaline.

She arrived at the Captain's quarters with her medical kit. She knocked and was not surprised that she got no answer, after what Mike had said. She stepped into his stateroom, calling to him softly.

She saw that he was in bed with his chest bare, the lower half of his body covered by a sheet. He was so tired he had not even turned the lamp out. From the lamp light, she could see his face was not relaxed.. His jaw was clenched and he seemed to be reliving a battle situation. His head turned away from her and he mumbled, slurring his speech, something about Ruskov not getting her.

His head turned to the other side, as if he might be delirious or reliving the battle they had just fought. Now she was worried. She went directly to his bed and bent over him. She reached for his wrist, so that she could check his pulse. That was a mistake she would soon regret. She had just committed the cardinal sin that all wives, girlfriends, brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers and children of men and women in the military have all been warned not to do, awaken them from a deep sleep by touching them, rather than waking them up by calling to them from a safe distance.

The second her hand made contact with his wrist, the Captain's training, which had been drilled into him, over and over at the Naval Academy, came to the fore and he was in action.

Dr. Scott felt herself lifted off the floor by his grip on her arms and she was thrown, passing over his body, onto her back on the other side of him, as he rolled over on top of her, on his knees. His body towered over her as he pinned her to the bed, raising his fist poised to come down and crush her windpipe. As she was thrown into the air, she screamed at the top of her lungs,"Captain…Captain …Stop…..It's me, Dr. Scott!"

In an instant, he came to his senses and was able to deflect his fist to the side, missing her throat, but clipping her left cheekbone slightly just under her left eye, as she turned her face to the side to avoid the blow.

When Dr. Scott had screamed, the Captain was immediately wide awake and looking down at her lying beneath him. He didn't understand how she got there. He yelled at her, furious, "Dr, Scott. What in the hell are you doing here? Good God, I could have killed you!"

She was in such shock that she did not have time to say anything. She looked up at his powerful body directly above her, with the sheet which had wrapped itself around his lower hips, as he had rolled into position over her. Realizing his mistake, in one motion, he rolled off of her and onto his feet. He reached back over and helped her out of his bed, but her legs were so wobbly that she had to sit on the bed facing him.

He was furious. He yelled, "How the Hell did this happen? You don't just walk into my quarters without knocking! Don't you know that I almost killed you? ….Doctor Scot, I want answers!"

Dr. Scott looked up at him and could not believe what she saw. Here he was dressing her down in his most commanding voice, with his towering presence, not three feet from her, with the same force he had used when he was in the Helo Bay, the first time he wanted answers, not that long ago. The only difference, in this instance was that now, he was seemingly completely unaware that he was standing in front of her with not a stitch of clothing on.

Gathering herself together, she said, "Captain Chandler, I can assure you I have a perfectly good explanation for why I am here and I will gladly answer all of your questions, but...…wouldn't you like to take this opportunity to put something on before we continue this conversation?"

She was looking directly into his stormy blue eyes, so full of fire and fury. As she spoke to him, she purposely ran her eyes down the entire length of his body and back up, meeting his eyes once again.

The Captain blinked and looked down to see what she was looking at. He had been so shocked and angry at what he had almost done to her, that he'd not even been aware that something was missing.

He said…"Oh….ah...…Damn!"

Without missing a beat, he'd turned away from her, walked to his clothing chest and took out a pair of regulation Navy boxer shorts, which he immediately put on.

Dr. Scot had tried to keep herself from watching him as he walked to the chest. She got the full few of his back, shoulders and the full length of his very well formed body. She felt her stomach tighten, failing as she tried unsuccessfully to be unaffected.

He went to the sink and got a hand towel, which he ran under the cold water. He brought this back and handed it to her. He said…" For your eye. I am very sorry, but you may have a bit of a shiner from this experience, Doctor."

He then looked a little less intense, as he leaned against the chest.…" Now, Doctor, I am waiting to hear your perfectly good explanation for how you almost got yourself killed in my quarters."

With that, she said, "It all started when Mike tried to check on you, when you didn't come to Dinner this evening. He knocked several times but got no response. He walked into your quarters, saw you in bed, but when he called to you, you didn't wake up.. God knows how exhausted you were and from what I can see now, you still are."

The Captain said. "What time is it? I was only going to sleep for a few minutes."

"Captain, it is 1800" she said."

Mike was worried and tried to have Rios check on you. Doctor Rios was in the engine room with one of the crew who was injured."

At this point, the Captain jumped up heading for his closet to put on his uniform. He said, "Id better get down there!"

Doctor Scott said, "No, Captain, it was just a cut that had to be stitched up, but Dr. Rios knew it would take some time. He asked Mike to have me come and check on you. Rios said to make sure you didn't have a fever, after all you have been through and to check you out, in his place. I told Mike that I would check on you. I am always here to help out Dr. Rios."

She continued, "When I got here, I also got no answer to my knock and yes, Captain, I did knock. When I came in, I saw you were deeply asleep, but I did call to you. Still you did not awaken. I thought you probably needed the sleep, but when I got closer, I could hear you talking in your sleep or I thought you might be delirious. You were mumbling something about Ruskov and not giving me to him. I knew I had to check your pulse and your temperature. You were so deeply asleep. I didn't think there was any way you would wake up from my touch. I bent over you. It was at that point..…"

The Captain finished her sentence. …."all Hell broke loose!"

She said, "Yes, Captain."

The Captain's face softened. The realization of how this happened, suddenly becoming clear. He stepped over to her, looking down at the red bruise on her cheekbone with regret. He very gently took her chin and tilted it up to him. He ran his thumb, carefully over the bruise, which was just starting to turn blue under her eye. He said very softly, barely moving his lips, "Nobody warned you, did they, Dr. Scott?"

She said, " Captain, I had no idea what caused this reaction. I know I did something wrong, but I don't know what. Was it because you were dreaming about the Russians?"

He said, "No, Dr. Scott. None of this was your fault. I feel very sorry for yelling at you and for causing you such pain. God knows you certainly did not deserve this. God damn it! Rios or Mike should have warned you!"

She said," Captain, warned me about what?"

At that point, he explained in detail about how people in the military are often trained to use various " kill tactics" which can be set off by certain actions, which he explained to her. "We always warn all of our family members and any friends about what not to do, so that this kind of thing does not happen. Everyone on this ship, with the exception of you and Doctor Tophet and his family, knows what not to do. I guess they never thought you would be in a situation like this. You don't wake up someone in the military, who is asleep, by touching them. You call to them. You don't run up behind us, when we don't know you are there and throw your arms around our necks. It is certain things like that, people have to be warned about. He explained further what had happened when she touched him.

This was meant to be a kill tactic to protect someone who is sleeping from being attacked by someone who comes up to them suddenly. It ends by crushing the windpipe of the attacker. The knee between the legs was to be used to hit the attacker in the groin, if it was needed to subdue them and to pin them in position for the killing blow. "

The Captain had used a different kill tactic when they were escaping from the guards on the Vyerni, not 24 hours before, to take out the guard who was attacking him. This tactic, he had also learned, along with Mike at the Academy. It had become second nature to them after all the training. These types of moves had saved their lives many times over.

He did not mention this last to the Doctor. He did not want her to be afraid of him or to remind her that he had killed a guard in hand to hand combat, when they were on the Russian ship. The Navy Seals and Special Forces had many more kill tactics. Even Tex used them.

She said, "I had no idea. I am so sorry."

He said, "You have nothing to apologize for, Dr. Scott. You did not know and that's not your fault."

He said running his hand through his hair. " This is a first for me. I have never before failed to wake up instantly when someone knocked at the door or when someone called to me. . No wonder Mike was worried, I only planned to sleep for a few minutes. I was planning to get dressed and go to the bridge. I would have slept later. Now, I had better get dressed and get up to the bridge. I am well overdue."

Dr. Scott said. "No you don't. You will sit here on the bed and let me do what I came here to do."

He sat down, reluctantly, on his bed beside her. She got up and picked up her medical kit which had fallen to the floor in all that had happened.

She took his wrist and proceeded to take his pulse. She then used her stethoscope placed over his heart on his muscular chest. She had him turn to the side so she could check out his lungs by placing the stethoscope in different places on his broad back, asking him to breath deeply. She took his temperature and shined a light into his eyes.

When she was finished, he said. "OK, Dr. Scott?..., I need to get to the bridge!."

She shocked him by placing her hand firmly on his chest and pushing him back onto his bed.

"No Captain, You are not going to the bridge. You are going back to bed for about 6-8 hours or whenever you wake up. That's an order!"

He raised himself up, laughing. "Dr. Scott, you cannot give me orders."

She said, pushing him back down on the pillow, "Captain Chandler, there is only one person on this ship who can give you orders, when it pertains to your health. That would normally be Dr. Rios, right Captain. ? …. Well, Dr. Rios told Mike that I was to take his place, in coming here to check you out. That makes me the Doctor with the authority to order you to go back to bed, Captain and that is just what I am doing. It is my medical judgment that with all you have been through, you need the extra sleep. I can see you can hardly keep your eyes open even now. Mike will be fine on the bridge and you will be fine after your sleep. I promise no one will disturb you this time."

He said, " Are you tucking me in, Dr. Scott?"

She quipped, " If that's what it takes to get you to stay in that bed. Now get some sleep, Captain!"

He looked up at her, feeling the heaviness in his eyes and said, softly, barely moving his lips, which were slightly turned up at the corners….., "Yes, Ma'am."

He then said, "And you get that eye looked after!... That's an order, Doctor."

She said softly, in the same manner…,"Yes, Sir."

She looked down at his handsome, still sunburned face and saw that he was already fast asleep. She felt something stir within her, something that reminded her of the kiss they had shared on the Vyerni, only a few hours before.

She remembered how she felt when she had first seen him on the Vyerni, brought up from below, handcuffed and exhausted, his face burned from the sun. She remembered the wave of relief and something else that had swept over her as she saw him. She hadn't realized how much his presense meant to her, until she thought she had lost him. Then he was looking at her from across the room in shock and anger. In an instant she was rushing to him as he said, "What the Hell are you doing here!"

She threw herself into the kiss. Strangely, he seemed to know almost immediately what she was trying to do and how to help her. They seemed to know each others thoughts. They made it happen and after it was done, they continued the kiss as if neither wanted it to end, as if neither would ever be able to recreate this again. It belonged to this moment.

As they were forcibly separated by the Russian guards, she knew this was something she would never forget, would never want to forget . For this moment in time they had worked as one, as if it had always been that way. They had together accomplished the first goal which was key to the success of the whole escape plan. Beyond this, they had convinced Ruskov that they were in love, though she had not planned to throw herself so completely into the kiss, nor that the Captain would seemingly react to it with a passion that matched her own, even if that passion was for the purpose of passing the note successfully.

Rachel looked down at his handsome face, as he slept peacefully. She had tremendous respect for this man and part of that respect was because he was so loyal to the love he had for his wife and children. She would never want that to change. She would just have to live with what ever this was she was feeling for him.

Now she had to get up to the bridge and let Mike know that the Captain would be fine with a few more hours of sleep.

What had happened here today had to remain their little secret. Though her eye was starting to throb, she smiled. Who would ever believe that the Captain had given her a black eye.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2 while he sleeps

Chapter 2

Their Little Secret

Dr. Scott left the Captain's quarters, softly closing the door behind her. She knew that Commander Slattery would be waiting to hear about the Captain. She really did not have time to waste, going to her quarters first to take care of her eye. She would do it after she spoke to the Commander.

On her way to the bridge, she did pass a few other members of the crew and got some very strange looks. Perhaps her eye was worse than she thought.

She arrived on the bridge and walked over to Commander Slattery as he was going over some maps with one of the crew. She saw all of the officers and crew, who were on the bridge, turn to look at her, expectantly. It seemed that the whole ship knew that the Captain might not be well and that she had gone to check on him. This really was like one big family. She guessed that with Dr. Rios in the Engine Room and Slattery on the Bridge, discussing the fact that they needed to have her check out the Captain, because something might be wrong with him, word had leaked out over the entire ship.

Mike stepped up to her and led her aside. Her hair was slightly out of the clip in back and much of it was hanging loose. She almost looked like she'd just gotten out of bed.

He took one look at her and said, "Dr. Scott, for Gods sake, what happened to you? Looks like you have the beginnings of a shiner, there."

Dr. Scott said, "Well Commander, after all we have just been through, you wouldn't even guess how careless and foolish I was. I actually walked right into the door to the Captain's quarters."

Mike looked down at her, a slight smile stealing across his handsome face.. With his background of working with the Chicago Police Investigations, he could tell when someone was lying. He said "Dr. Scott, are you trying to tell me that you, someone who works everyday with glass containers full of the most deadly virus on the planet, someone who never spills a drop, I might add, just accidentally walks into a steel door? … Do you, by chance, want to start over and tell me what really happened?"

Dr. Scott looked down. She couldn't quite meet his eyes. He was not going to let her off the hook.

Before Dr. Scott had time to answer him, Mike blinked, as it suddenly dawned on him what must have happened, judging from her appearance. He said, " Good God, that's how you got that black eye. You couldn't wake him up, either, could you, Dr. Scott? You tried to check him out without waking him up, didn't you?.. Of course you did. He shook his head…. . Damn, I should have warned you!. Why didn't I think to warn you.?"

"Yes, Commander, you should have warned me. The Captain was none to happy that you didn't, I might add," she said, relieved that she didn't have to go into more details.

She was quick to continue, before he could ask any more questions, "Commander Slattery, it is really not important what happened to me. I wanted to let you know that the Captain will be fine, with some extra sleep. He was just totally exhausted . You should not expect him to be on the Bridge for 6-8 hours at the minimum or perhaps not until morning. That is, if he follows my orders."

Mike got a very quizzical look on his face. Smiling broadly, he said, "You ordered Him, Dr. Scott?. Well, I bet he just really went right along with that."

She smiled,"Oh, he told me I couldn't give him orders. He did fight me a bit on that. He wanted to come right up here to the bridge. I wouldn't let him come up here. I told him he was to get some rest and that was an order. I told him that I did have the authority to order him because I was the Doctor who was taking the place of Dr. Rios, tonight. That is the rule in the Navy, is it not, Commander?"

Mike cocked his eyebrow at that, saying. "Yes, that is the rule, Doctor, though rarely is it used. So what did the Captain say to that, might I ask?"

She looked up at Mike with a twinkle in her eye and a deliciously satisfied smile on her face. " The Captain said, 'Yes, ma'am'. "

Mike said, with a little grin on his face, chuckling, " He did, did he? "

Dr, Scott admitted, "Well, to be honest, it may have had something to do with the fact the he could barely keep his eyes open. He really did need that extra sleep. As you said he had never failed to wake up before." I don't think this whole thing would have happened under normal circumstances."

The crew and officers on the Bridge, including the Master Chief had picked up bits and pieces of the conversation between Dr. Scott and Slattery, enough to know that the Captain would be alright and that Dr. Scott's black eye was the result of a run-in with the Captain when she accidentally broke the cardinal rule, in waking him in the way she did, when she was trying to check him out. They were all into the humor of the whole thing.

The Captain had given Dr. Scott a black eye. There were knowing smiles everywhere. It was the talk of the entire ship from one end to the other within an hour. A number of them had their own stories to tell about similar situations that they knew of or that had happened to someone they knew.

When Dr. Scott got back to her quarters and looked in the mirror, she realized her hair was a mess and the clip in the back had been forced to the side. She was horrified that she had gone up to the bridge looking like that. It was no wonder the Commander didn't believe her when she said she had walked into a door. She looked like she'd just gotten out of bed.

Then she smiled slightly to herself. " Well, I guess I did just get out of bed,…the Captain's bed." The thought, put another picture in her mind, which she quickly put aside as she remembered that she had almost lost her life in his bed and the Captain was none too happy that she had landed there.

She straightened her hair and as she did so, she went back over all that had happened in the Captain's quarters. How was she going to forget that picture of him going from total fury directed at her to the captivating Captain who was so gently caressing the bruise he had given her, in total regret, after he realized what had actually happened?

Now she had the most difficult task of trying to remove the memory of his handsome face, his tall muscular body and his strait shoulders as he stood in front of her, completely unaware of his state of undress. She had to do this. She could put it out of her mind. She had plenty of really important work to do. She had the trials to set up for the vaccine. She could do this. Nothing good could come of thinking about the Captain like this. He could only be a distraction and she did not need any distractions, not now.

Then reality set in. She knew she did not want to let go of what she was feeling for him. She would deal with it. She knew her work was so very important and she would not let this distract her, but she cared about him too much to even think about letting it go. Not tonight, maybe never. The kiss they had shared only last night on the Vyerni, was still to fresh in her mind.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Captain lay in his bed as he gradually became aware of his surroundings. The clock on the bedside glowed. It was 0330.

He recalled the last thing he remembered before he had slept. Dr. Scott had pushed him back onto the pillows with her hand on his bare chest. She proceeded to tell him in no uncertain terms that she could order him. He knew of the rule that a Doctor could order a superior officer to do something if it was involving their own health, but it was a rule hardly ever used. He laughed to himself thinking that she had actually called him on it. He couldn't deny the rule. He would give her that. He wondered how she had known about that rule.

He could still remember the feel of her fingers sliding up the length of his body from this waist to his chest, as she pulled up the sheet and blanket to cover him.

He had quipped, " Are you tucking me in, Doctor?"

She had answered in the same laughing tone, " If that's what it takes to keep you in that bed, Captain. Now get some sleep. "

He shook his head, putting the thought out of his mind. He had to get up . His stomach was demanding food now. He needed a trip to the Head. He also needed another shower.

He could not believe it . He had slept for about 18 hours, with the slight interruption of Dr. Scott. As much as he didn't want to admit it, she had been right about the extra sleep he had needed. He felt restored .

He took a quick shower, enjoying the hot water and fresh smell of the soap. He was now fully awake and ready for some food. He just had to find some. He had put on a pair of sweat pants and a T-Shirt. There was nobody up for the most part at this time of night.

He knocked on the door to Mike's quarters, which was across from his own. Mike took a minute or so and then opened the door. He looked startled to see the Captain. He said, " Tom, What is it? Are you alright? "

Tom answered, "Yes, I'm alright. There's nothing wrong. I just slept for 18 hours, which I had never planned to do. I need some answers and to be brought up to speed about a few things going on around here. Mike, meet me in the Wardroom in about 10 minutes. I'll see what I can find in the Galley, even if I have to bring up canned peaches and some Spam. I've never raided the Galley before, but I am hungry enough to try it now."

Mike said he would be there. He was not looking forward to this, but it was better than doing it in front of the other officers.

The Captain reached the Galley and went in. He turned the light on and went to the refrigerator first. He was just pulling out some cheese when the door to the refrigerator was thrown back and he was face to face with the formidable presence of Bacon, the Chief Cook, who was in charge of all of the meals, food prep and food stores on the ship.

He was carrying a meat cleaver in his hand., which was raised in a threatening manner.

Bacon said, "Captain, Sir, I, I …thought I heard one of the crew in here trying to raid the refrigerator." He came to attention.

The Captain said, arching his eyebrow and laughing, " As you were, Bacon. I guess you caught me. Were you going to use that meat cleaver on me?"

Bacon said, "No sir, I would never actually use it on anyone, but it sure keeps them from coming back when I do catch them. I caught more when we had ice cream in here, but there hasn't been any of that for a while, now. Now, they are usually after the Pop Tarts"

Bacon said," Captain, It is sure good to see you back. After all you have been through, you must really be hungry."

The Captain said. " You are right about that, Bacon. I've just slept for about 18 hours, with a slight interruption and I am in need of some real food."

Bacon said grinning from ear to ear, "Yes, Sir, you did have a slight interruption in that sleep, didn't you?"

The Captain looked at Bacon sharply, "What do you mean, Bacon?"

Bacon wiped the grin off his face, realizing that the Captain had no idea the whole ship knew about his little mishap with Dr. Scott.. He said, " Oh, nothing Captain, I was just thinking I could muster up some Ham and hash browns. How about some pancakes along with it? "

The Captain said," Bacon that sounds great. Would you do that for me? I will be in the Wardroom with Commander Slattery. Could you bring it up there with some black coffee? Maybe you better rush the coffee. Commander Slattery isn't use to being up so early ."

Bacon said," Aye, Captain, I've got your back. I'll see what else I can find for you and the XO, maybe some fruit. You won't have to wait long with me in charge, Sir."

Bacon had a very good relationship with the Captain and he always took extra care of him, if he ever wanted anything, special. Bacon, the Captain knew, was not just a great cook, but happened to be one of the most intelligent members of the crew. For one thing, he was a master at the game of Chess. The Captain often wondered if things had gone another way for Bacon, if he'd had the college education, a mind like his could have been used to be involved in many higher level pursuits, such a strategic planning . Anybody that good at playing Chess, would be able to think of all kinds of contingency plans for just about any situation that could come up. He thought that Bacon was pretty good at cooking up some excellent meals without many of the foods they had all taken for granted before.

The Captain headed for the Wardroom. He could hear Bacon chuckling to himself and whistling in the background. The Captain thought to himself that Bacon looked like he had swallowed a Canary "Well something is making him happy." he thought.

He made his way to the Wardroom. Mike was waiting for him . Tom closed the door behind him. Though they were best friends and had known each other for years, Tom was the Captain and when he gave an order he expected it to be carried out. Mike didn't know quite what to expect. He had an uneasy feeling that there were still some questions the Captain had and since they were having this conversation at 0400, privately in the Wardroom, he expected the questions to be of a serious nature.

Still he was confident of the decisions he had made and he knew that he had made decisions that went against what Tom had told him to do, but he would make the same decisions again, given the circumstances.

Tom noted the tension in the room and tried to lighten it a bit by saying " Mike, I ran into Bacon in the Galley. He will be bringing us breakfast and some black coffee, which I think we both need." He motioned to the table for Mike to sit down and before he could seat himself, Bacon knocked at the Wardroom door. The Captain opened it and let Bacon come in holding a tray with the Coffee, some mugs and two place settings.. The Captain stood while Bacon was setting the table. Before he left, Bacon poured hot coffee into the mugs for the two officers. Bacon said ," I'll be right back with breakfast, Captain." Then he excused himself and the Captain closed the door and seated himself at the table across from Mike.

He said, "Mike, before we discuss anything else, I want you to know that you are to be commended on the planning and execution the rescue mission. It went like clockwork for the most part. I want to know more about that in a few minutes."

The Captain gave Mike a stern look. "One thing I did want to discuss with you. I knew the ship and crew would be in good hands when I called you that last time when Tex and I were in the water. I told you to cease all search and rescue efforts for us and that would be my last contact. That was an order, Mike.! You knew that!"

Mike said " And I chose, as acting Captain of the Nathan James, to ignore that order. I would do it again. Tom, I know if you had been here on the Bridge and it was me or anyone else in the crew, out there in the water, you would never have left us. God Dam it, Tom, do you think I would ever leave you and Tex out there? Not one member of the crew would have wanted me to sail off into the sunset. You are our Captain and as long as you are still breathing, it will remain so !"

Tom felt humbled at the loyalty that Mike had expressed with such passion. He would have someday had a ship of his own had things been different. He almost had it earlier than he thought. Mike was a natural leader and sometimes they didn't see eye to eye because of that, but he knew Mike was right about one thing.. He himself would never have left anyone behind.

At this point, Bacon brought their breakfast. They took a break from their conversation. The Captain breathed in the aroma of all before him and knew he was home. They both enjoyed this early morning breakfast. Tom soon felt his energy level rise and his body was back to normal. Mike, too felt much more at ease. He was confident in the decisions he had made.

They poured themselves more coffee as Mike brought the Captain up to date with what the planning was behind the extraction mission.

Mike began," When we got the call from Ruskov, I tried to stall him long enough to get a bearing on where the Vyreni was, but we failed at that. Ruskov gave us only 10 minutes to figure some kind of strategy. He wanted Dr. Scott and all of her work or he would torture and kill you and Tex. I knew that I would not give up Dr. Scott period, but I had to have time to locate the Vyerni to send an extraction team to get you back. I knew he would start torturing you as soon as I told him that I would not send Dr. Scott to him.. I did not see any way around that."

Mike continued, "I know Ruskov was planning to have your screams echoing all over our Bridge. He thought I would give in . The only thing I could hope for is that we could get a bearing on where those screams were being sent from, the location of the Vyerni. That is all I had at the time. I didn't know what kind of torture he would use on you, but the Russians have been known to be brutal. We were all hoping you could hold out and stay alive long enough for us to get to you out.I would try to play for time, letting him think we were being swayed and that we might send her and in the mean time get an extraction team to you, before you were tortured to death."

Tom said, "Yes, that was what I thought you would do. You knew she was never to be sent, even if you could not save us. I never wanted her risked under any circumstances, Mike, you knew that. Why did you risk her like that? Why did you send her?."

Mike said," The most amazing thing happened 5 minutes after Ruskov called me. We were in the middle of discussions, when we were interrupted on the bridge by Dr. Scott rushing into the room.. I told her we didn't have time to talk now, that we had only 5 minutes to come up with some sort of strategy before the Russians called us back. She said that she had the vaccine. She said the last monkey had survived."

Tom's mouth dropped open. " You mean she actually has a working vaccine? I heard Ruskov come to me and tell me that he now had the vaccine from Dr. Scott, but I thought you had sent her to the Vyerni to bluff her way through. I could not believe she really had it. This all happened while I was gone? Oh my God , Mike."

Mike went on. "Even so, I could not see letting her go, but she brought up some very good points. She said that sending her would provide the only chance we would ever have to destroy the Vyerni and Ruskov, once and for all. She basically said that he would follow us to the ends of the Earth. I could see she was right. We just had to plan the rest of it. 5 minutes later, we agreed to send her when Ruskov called back. That bought us some hours and you were not being tortured. It would take Dr. Scott time to get her things together, we told Ruskov. Our Seal team was on the bridge and Lt. Green decided Cosetti, was the only person who had the knowledge of just how to set the small explosives in the right places on the Vyerni, so that they could do enough damage to sink the ship, without causing an nuclear meltdown or explosion, which would have killed all of you, along with the Russians. It was a brilliant plan, but we had to find you and Tex on the ship. That was something that gave us pause. It would take a very long time to locate you. Then the idea of passing a note and a blade to you was brought up."

Tom said ," Yes and whose idea was the kiss.? "

Mike said, " That was Rachel's idea and what an argument we all gave her. That kind of thing, could blow up in our faces. What if Ruskov suspected she was passing a note and Ruskov found it? What if it was dropped ? What if she wasn't allowed to be close enough to you to kiss you. She had worked on some other alternatives, just in case."

Tom said, intrigued, "Why did she choose me, rather than Tex? "

Mike said, "To have it work the best way, it needed to be you, Captain. Ruskov would be wondering why she was being sent without your even being tortured one time. He would have suspected some sort of trick. We had to make Ruskov think you two were in love and that she had come to his ship so fast to keep him from torturing you. We wanted him to put two and two together himself. He thought up the strategy of capturing you so he would have the torture leverage and we would just give him a little more leverage, at least seemingly. We were taking a chance, but knowing his arrogance, he would be patting himself on the back because now he could see anther advantage for keeping you alive and there on his ship. Now he could use the threat of torturing you to get Dr, Scott to do his bidding."

Mike continued, "By sending Doctor Scott herself with enough of the vaccine and some vials of the virus to convince Ruskov that she had the real vaccine, which he would want to test, we could use her as our living ticking time bomb, using a tracking device on her life vest, which she would wear until they took the vest off of her on the Vyreni, As soon as she was aboard, we could get the location and send the extraction team out right on time. We knew about how far they were from us by time, but not in which direction. The Russian helicopter was picking her up a distance from us. Ruskov would want to make sure the vaccine worked and that Dr. Scot had brought all of her work, before he would chance sinking the Nathan James, so we had to move quickly. We had a bold plan, but if all worked well, we would be free of the Vyerni and have all of our people back. We almost succeeded, if we had not lost Cosetti. Tom, I think you can see there was no other way. We had all the pieces we needed. There would not be a second chance to be rid of Ruskov, once and for all. Dr. Scott was right."

Tom said, " This was even a better plan than I realized. You covered all the bases, with some ample help from the guy upstairs. My hat is off to you., Mike., but I never want her risked again, understood?"

Mike said, "Understood, Captain"

Smiling broadly, Mike said " We were all so worried about how you would react to the kiss. I could not wait to ask you. Now it'd your turn, Tom. Did she really kiss you and pass the note?"

Tom was not ready to answer questions about how she had kissed him and how he had responded. Somehow as public as the planning of this was, it had turned into something that was very private between himself and Dr. Scott. He hadn't even been able to voice any questions to her or even figure out himself what that kiss had revealed. He shifted a little in his seat and looked down. None of this was lost on Mike who now would have loved to have been a fly on the wall. He would have to ask Tex about it The Captain knew he had to say something to Mike.

The Captain cleared his throat and said, "Tex and I were brought up from the brig in handcuffs. I thought that this was it. The torture would start. The last thing I ever thought I would see is that you had disobeyed my orders and sent Dr. Scott to Ruskov. I saw her standing there ,looking at me from across the room, I blurted out ' What the hell are you doing here?' Before I could say another word, she rushed up to me and had thrown herself into the kiss , as if we had been lovers for a long time. She was very good,. Fortunately, it took only seconds to realize that she was trying to pass me something. I went along with it. We both kissed each other as though our lives depended on it. If we hadn't, Ruskov would have immediately figured out what she was doing. He might have wanted to search my mouth. I would have had to swallow the damn thing!"

The Captain continued, "Poor Tex, was at a complete loss. You know how he feels about Dr. Scott. Even he thought we had been having a secret love affaire, after that kiss.. He was berating me all the way down to the brig, until I could get the note out of my mouth, after they had taken off our handcuffs."

They finished their coffee and they both men felt refreshed . The Captain felt he had a good handle on what had gone into the planning for mission and he was pleased with Mike on that front.

He had questions for Dr. Scott about the kiss, though he didn't know what he was going to say to her. He did want to understand what had happened to them and he wanted to make sure she was alright after what had happened last night.

He said, " I just have one other bone to pick with you, Mike and I presume you know what that is. Why in hell didn't you warn Dr. Scott about waking me up the way she did? You do know that I could have killed her? We bring her back from the Vyreni , not a scratch on her and she walks into my quarters and walks out with a black eye."

Mike looked down at the table, shaking his head. " Tom, I've been kicking myself ever since I found out about what happened. Do you know that she told me that she had walked into the steal door to your quarters. She was trying to protect you . Of course I didn't believe her. I figured it out myself, after seeing the condition she was in when she came up to the bridge. "

Mike said, "Well Tom, at least you didn't use the full kill tactic that we both had drilled into us at the Academy." He was looking directly into Tom's eyes as he said this. Mike saw the Captain's jaw clench and how he averting his eyes for a second before looking back up at his friend.

Mike said, " Tom, You… you didn't.. you didn't actually….Oh my God…You didn't flip her…. onto ….onto…your.. your

Tom finished the sentence for him , " Onto my bed, God Dam it!."

Mike said, " Oh no, Tom, You didn't roll on top of her, on your .. your knees ….. Please don't tell me you… "

Tom exploded in pent up anger, " Yes, you Son of a Bitch and it is no thanks to you for not warning her!. Thank God, she screamed and that brought me to my senses. I just barely averted the killing blow! God, Mike, I'll never forgive myself. I deflected it, but she turned her face to the side and I caught her on the cheekbone just under her eye. "

Mike suddenly understood, saying, " No wonder she looked like she'd just been mauled by a lion. Her hair was partially out of the clip in back and much of it was hanging loose. She had come directly up to the bridge after she left your quarters. She obviously had not looked into a mirror. She knew we were all concerned about your condition. She was so happy to tell me you would be fine after you got about 8 hours more sleep. She told me it wasn't important what had happened to her. I felt terrible that I hadn't warned her, but I had no idea that she'd experienced that much. I just thought you'd just flung your arm out, when she tried to take your pulse."

Mike saw the pain in Tom's eyes as he had to face what he had actually done last night.

The Captain ran his hand though his hair saying "Not only that , but after I got her out of my bed, I yelled at her, dressing her down for walking into my quarters without knocking. I made her explain what she was doing in my quarters. I was so angry and stunned at what I had done and the fact that I'd almost killed her. Mike, she is the most important person on this ship. I would have given my life to keep her away from Ruskov or any other danger and I end up being the worst danger, myself . I am a God damn lethal weapon!"

Mike looked at his friend and realized he was really hurting. He said " Tom, listen to me. You did not kill her. She is a doctor. She knows you were not yourself and you have never failed to wake up on your own, when someone calls you or knocks. This was a very unusual circumstance. It will never happen again, Tom."

" As far as you being a 'lethal weapon', that is what we are trained to be. It helped save her life the night before, on the Vyerni, remember? Now. she knows the rule. I'm sure she will never forget it. There is no way she blames you for what happened. It was very obvious that she cares for you and was relieved that you just needed some sleep, rather than it being something more serious. The bottom line is she has a slight discoloration under her eye. It isn't even a full black eye", he lied.

Mike continued, "Do you remember, back when we were all in our 4th year at the Academy. Remember how we all laughed, when we heard about how Christian accidentally gave his girlfriend a black eye, when she sat up in bed, when he was having a nightmare after he went through Seal Training? We laughed because it is so out of character for someone like you or like Christian to ever give a woman a black eye. It just would never happen, under normal circumstances. Her eye will be fine in another week. You will both laugh about this one of these days. It will be a story to tell your grandchildren."

Tom started to calm down. He remembered he always had warned Darien about the rule and she had never been hurt, nor his children. Under normal circumstances, he would always wake up, if a pin dropped. He was over reacting a bit, but he still felt such guilt for what had happened. At least Mike didn't know the other part of the story and hopefully he never would, certainly not from him.

The two men left the Wardroom and Tom went back to his quarters to change into his BDUs. It was still early, but late enough that he might get a chance to speak with Dr. Scott.

There was also something he thought he had heard Mike say about everyone on the Bridge waiting to hear about his condition from Dr. Scott. No, he couldn't have heard that right. At least he hoped not.

I


	4. Chapter 4

Their Little Secret

Chapter 4

Rachel awakened early. She took a quick shower and went to the sink and washed her face. She winced as the water toughed her eye and she remembered what had happened yesterday. She looked in the mirror and was met with the result of it. The Captain had been so upset that he was responsible for the damage. She didn't know how well she could hide it with makeup. She knew he was going to be even more upset when he saw it now. It had not looked nearly as bad last night.

She wished that Mike had believed her story about running into a door. It would have been so much easier to explain. She should have thought up a better lie, but Mike seemed to have figured the whole thing out himself. At least he didn't know the whole story. She hadn't let him ask any questions. It was bad enough that Mike knew the Captain had given her the black eye, without the details being known. It wasn't really black, but it was a dark blue.

She hadn't brought much makeup with her because she did so much work in her bio-hazard clothing under lights. It got too hot.

She was not looking forward to seeing the Captain. She had no idea what his reaction would be when he saw the end result of what he had accidentally done.

XXXXXXX

Tex had slept for about 20 hours straight. He awakened, not even knowing what day it was. He thought he had only slept until the evening, but found out it was the next day. He went to the showers and knew almost immediately that something was going on. There was a lot of laughing and joking. He heard Dr. Scott's name mentioned several times. He started really listening carefully to what was being said. He heard one of the guys saying, "Well, it looks like Dr. Scott had to learn her lesson the hard way.

No touching sleeping Captain, without waking him up first …OUCH! That Hurt!

Still another quipped, laughingly, " I was wondering what she touched to get that kind of

a reaction!"

"Watch it, Thompson, it is the Captain we are talking about. No off color jokes," said another.

"Come on Thompson, They said Dr Scott was trying to take his pulse."

Still another said, " He must have hit her in his sleep. I bet he wasn't too happy when he found out what he had done to her. "

"Yea,, I bet he is steaming mad about this. Someone from the Bridge confirmed it. They saw Dr. Scott come from his quarters and reported to the XO. They could not hear the whole conversation, but she basically said the Captain was going to be alright, but she was sporting the beginnings of a real shiner."

Tex had heard enough He could not believe it. Had Captain Chandler really given Rachel a black eye? What was she doing in his quarters?. He was starting to get a little hot under the collar. He got out of the shower, put on some clothes and walked to the Captain's quarters. Just as he arrived and was ready to knock, Captain Chandler opened the door and stepped out into the P-way.

Tex said "Hey Commodore., What is all this I hear about you giving Rachel a black eye?"

The Captain looked at Tex sharply and frowned " What? Where did you hear about that, Tex? "

Tex said, " In the showers. You and Dr. Scot are the talk of the ship. What the hell is going on? What was she doing in your quarters?"

The Captains face turned dark red, his displeasure clearly showing. He said, "Tex, not now! I have some damage control to take care off!"

The Captain, headed straight to the Lab. He had to see Dr. Scott. He walked into the Lab area and after scanning the area, saw her sitting with her back to him, at a desk, going over some papers. He said, " Dr. Scott, a word with you. If I may?"

She had heard him come in. She instinctively knew it was the Captain. Somehow, she could feel his larger than life presence. She should have known he would be here this morning. She knew she had to face him, but she dreaded his reaction.

She could not avoid facing him any longer. She turned slowly, her face tilted down. She raised her face to him and looked into his stunning blue eyes, full of concern for her.

He was startled and visibly winced when he saw the result of what he had done. He took in the dark blue discoloration under her left eye , sucking in a deep breath, before he could even speak. He was momentarily angry at Mike for lying to him. This was not a slight discoloration, as Mike had so flippantly described it. It was a full fledged black eye and there was no way she could hide it.

"Rachel" He spoke her name so softly, she was almost not sure she heard it. He took her chin in his large hand and ever so gently, tilted it up so that he could better see the damage. As he had last night, he ran his thumb, very slowly back and forth over the bruise, as if touching it so softly would magically erase it.

Her skin was so soft and smooth. It was his attempt to comfort her for all the pain he had caused her. He wondered how this woman, so strong and stubborn as she had been with him over all these months, could now seem so fragile and vulnerable, that he just ached to hold her in his arms. His protective instincts were strong . He wanted her to know that as long as he was around, she would be safe.

She looked at the deep concern and pain in his blue eyes, looking down into hers, as he stood so close to her, that she could feel the heat radiating from his body and she was engulfed in his fresh clean masculine scent. She could see the regret in his eyes. She wanted to melt into his arms, knowing she would always find comfort there. She knew that this man would never knowingly hurt her. She wanted to know him, all of him. She wanted him to know her. Strangely the kiss on the Vyerni had been the catalyst. That, she had yet to explore, but soon, she promised herself.

They were only inches apart, as he took his hand away from her face and looked directly into her eyes. He took a slight step back, realizing that he had to regain his composure. He instinctively reverted to her formal tile. "Dr. Scott", he said. " I cannot tell you how very much I regret what happened last night in my quarters and the pain I caused you. You certainly did not deserve to be spoken to, in the manner that I addressed you, nor should I have accused you of entering my quarters without knocking. I hope that you will accept my apology for the way I treated you I have only the greatest respect for you and would never knowingly hurt you in any way. I hope you know that."

She stepped back, knowing that she had to break the spell his presence seemed to cast on her. Returning to reality, she said, "Captain, Your apology is accepted, though I truly do not believe you have anything to apologize for. I am a doctor and if anyone can understand how and why it happened, I can."

She smiled up at him warmly. "I am so glad you came by so that I could see if the rest, I somewhat forced on you, had done what I wanted it to do. You look so much better and ready to return to duty, I think."

He said " Thank you for your concern Dr. Scott. I am fine, I assure you. I do, however, have to discuss another matter concerning what happened last night." He looked uncomfortable, not knowing exactly how he should tell her.

He said," It has just come to my attention that, to put it bluntly, you and I are the talk of the whole ship. I don't know how they got wind of it, but it seems to be public knowledge that I gave you a black eye."

Rachel, looked down, " Oh, Captain, I am sorry to hear that. I didn't tell anyone what happened. I spoke to Commander Slattery about the fact that you would be fine by morning. When he noticed my eye, I tried to tell him I had walked into your steel door, but somehow he didn't believe me.. Oh, I'm afraid I really made of mess of it, didn't I? "

The Captain had to stop himself from moving closer to her, again. He somehow had the urge to comfort her as he pictured her trying to protect his reputation, after all the things he had said to her, the way he had yelled at her. He felt his resolve dissolve as he stepped close to her again. He could smell the sweet scent of her shampoo as she looked up at him.

He spoke softly to her, while physically restraining himself from pulling her into his arms. "Rachel, it means a great deal to me that you tried to protect me, after the damage I did to you. The fact remains, however, that the fault was mine and I will take the heat. Unfortunately, you have the black eye and you are now taking on part of it as well. I will see what I can do about that."

The Captain was having a hard time understanding his reactions to her, over the last couple of days, since they had returned from the Vyerni. Why was he in such a protective mode when it came to Dr. Scott?

As if in answer to his question, he had a sudden flashback of when he was forcibly separated from her, immediately after the kiss. He remembered how the blood had rushed to his face as the guards had dragged him back away from Rachel as he looked up to find Ruskov, with his eyes locked directly on his, a look of triumph on every inch of his face. He heard the words as clearly as if Ruskov had spoken them out loud. "Ah, you said it was never going to happen, Captain, but now….now Dr. Rachel Scott is mine. I have something of yours, Captain and I can do whatever I like with her…..whatever I like, Captain and you….you can do nothing to stop me!"

There was much more that he felt at that moment, as he and Tex were led away. He had left her in the hands of Ruskov and he could do nothing to keep her from him. As Tex was berating him all the way back to the brig, about the kiss, he was saying to himself,"Mike, God damn it! Why did you have to send her? God help you. You better have a damn good plan to get us out of here. I have to make sure to get her out of Ruskov hands and back on the Nathan James, where she belongs."

He remembered his relief when he took the note and the blade from his mouth and read the contents, naming, "0400", as the hour they were to be at the ladder room. Mike's plan worked and they all got back. He thanked God for that. Only Cosetti paid the price with his life.

He thought," Now that the Vyerni and Ruskov are no more, why am I still haunted by that kiss and what happened on that ship?"

He also noticed that sometimes Rachel also seemed to have had a similar experience. Somehow, he wanted to understand what this was about. He had not let her out of his site from the moment he had reconnected with her at the lab area of the Vyerni. She had been in shock, because she had just shot a man to death. In shock, she had pointed the gun at him. He remembered how he had calmly stepped to her, taking the gun from her hand. He then took her by the arm and guided her through the passages of the ship, himself, never leaving her side , through all of battle, the gunfire and bullets, until they were safely on the boat speeding away from the Vyerni, as it burned against the night sky behind them. He felt she was his responsibility and he was her protector. Maybe he had always felt this way, but that kiss somehow had sealed the fact.

Everything had changed with regard to his reactions to her, after the kiss. Was she also feeling the change? He looked into her eyes and saw it there also.

He frowned and forced himself to shake off this memory of the Vyerni, as he brought himself back to the present with Rachel. He physically shook his head as if to clear his thinking and he stepped back from her. He took a deep breath and said with a big smile on his face. "Dr. Scott, have you had breakfast?"

She said, "Well, no, I thought I would get Quincy to bring me back something later. I didn't want to let everyone see me looking like this. I didn't want all the questions."

He said, " There won't be any questions, Dr. Scott and you are not going to be doing any hiding. I will make sure of that. We are going to the Wardroom. I want to hear all about how you found the Vaccine. He opened the door and had her proceed him as they headed for the Wardroom.

On the way, they passed a few of the crew, who looked at Dr. Scott's black eye. They all came to attention. The Captain said " As you were," to each group, but where he noticed anyone ginning, he gave that person his famous look of disapproval, which stopped them in their tracks. This was usually reserved for someone who was doing something bad enough to get tours of extra duty as punishment.

When they got to the Wardroom, the other officers greeted him and Dr. Scott. She was getting some stares, but after he cocked his head toward Dr. Scott and gave them a warning look, they refrained from making any reference to her eye. His officers were very attuned to each of his looks. He didn't need to say a word. They knew.

Needless to say, he got the message across that no hint of mirth should be shown regarding Dr. Scott's mishap, at least not in earshot of her or the Captain. It did not take long for the joking to die down, for the whole ship soon knew the Captain was not pleased.

He sat down with Dr. Scott, having his second breakfast of the day and listened to her animated update on how the vaccine had worked on the very last monkey and how she had incorporated blood Plasma of Bertrice.

He loved looking at how happy and enthusiastic she was when explaining all the details. She said that now the next step would be human trials. She would need volunteers which would cover different factors. She needed six, who fit the various criteria that she had set up.

Later in the day, there was a meeting in the Ward Room with the XO and the Master Chief regarding letting the notices be listed so that the whole ship would know about the trails and that volunteers were needed. The Captain wanted to let the crew know that Dr. Scott would be developing a vaccine prototype, which could be tested on Human beings and when she was finished with the success she expected, they could head for home.

Dr. Scott would be busy clearing out the lab area, so she could have the 6 volunteers with beds within her containment area. She, Dr. Tophet and Dr. Rios would all be needed.

The Captain let her know that he would be backing her in any way he could. Captain Chandler was very excited for her to get going with the trials as well. If she could get a vaccine they could use, then they could turn toward home. He had visions of seeing his family again and that they could be free of the threat of the virus. He just prayed that they were all still safe. He had not heard from them in months, directly.


	5. Chapter 5

(Just a little addition to the story)

Tex went to the Lab later that day to see Dr. Scott. She had been busy in meetings in the Ward Room setting up the criteria for the volunteers for her Trails for the vaccine. He has been trying to get a chance to speak with her and to see that famous black eye that she sported.

Judging from the angry response he got from Captain Chandler when he confronted him on his way out of his quarters this morning, he guessed he knew it was true. The Captain had actually given Rachel a black eye. He'd asked around about it and got the story from a couple of the crew. He understood, now, how it could have happened, if Dr. Scott had really tried to take his pulse when he was deeply asleep. He started wishing she had checked on him the way she checked on the Captain. He had overslept also, but she'd never even thought about checking on him. He still could not believe he had slept 20 hours. That whole thing, being in the ocean and being beaten on the Vyerni, then fighting their way out, had been grueling.

He thought about how deeply he himself must have been sleeping. Hell, if she had checked on him the way she did the Captain and she did not wake him up first…the thought was sobering. Maybe it was just as well she hadn't come to his quarters. She did not know the kind of training he'd had drilled into him, over the years. The old timers in this business had told him that you never loose that training. One who was 85, formally of the Airborne (Special Forces) let him know that. Even at that age, he was deadly.

He then wondered just how it had actually happened, when Dr. Scott was in the Captain's quarters. He had seen the Captain use a kill tactic on the guard on the Vyerni.

He suddenly had a scary thought. Could Captain Chandler have used the kill tactic that he was thinking of on Dr. Scott? His mouth dropped open at the thought, "Damn." He was determined to find out.

When he arrived at the lab, he could see sailors helping Dr. Scott, transferring boxes of supplies and equipment and cages into another area of the helo bay, so that they could get cots into the containment area. She had a clipboard and was busy checking off items and giving directions as to where things belonged.

One of the sailors that knew Tex said softly. "Don't say anything about her black eye. We got the word. The Captain would not like it."

Tex clinched his jaw. This statement made Tex even more determined. He walked right up to Dr. Scott and said, "Well, Dr. Scott, it is good to see you again. I just woke up a few hours ago. I haven't had a chance to see how you are feeling, after our return from the Vyerni."

She turned to him and he got a chance to see the results of her trip to the Captain's quarters. He inwardly winced. She said, " Tex, it is good you got some rest. I see your face is a bit bruised from the beating you took, but nothing serious."

He said in a booming voice." Good God, woman! Speaking of bruises, so this is the famous black eye, I've been hearing about! It sure looks like the Captain did a job on you!"

Everyone in the room looked up and stared at Tex. They hoped the Captain didn't hear about this. He would not be pleased. Dr. Scott stepped back, from him saying, "Tex, would you kindly lower your voice. I would rather not have the whole room hear this conversation."

"Sorry, Dr. Scott. I had just heard about it and I was curious just how it happened, that's all." He said in a softer tone.

Dr. Scott said, "If you have heard about it, you already know how it happened. It was an accident and it does not require any other explanation that I can see. Now, I have a lot of things to get done here. We are getting ready for human Trials on the vaccine. If you will excuse me."

He was not finished. He stepped closer to her. He said, his voice, soft and deadly serious, "Dr. Scott. Just one question… Did he use the killing tactic on you?"

She stood absolutely still, unable to speak.. She just looked up into his eyes, which were locked onto hers, not an ounce of the usual humor showing. He had his answer.

He said softly, "Rachel, you are lucky to be alive."

Tex touched her cheek, softly and turned around and walked out of the room. This time he was so glad she had gone to the Captain and not to him. He knew that he himself was faster and more highly trained in kill tactics than Captain Chandler. He would not have missed. She would not have had time to scream.

.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It was the Captain's his first day back to duty and it had been a long one. After his 18 hour nap, after the return from the Vyerni, he had accomplished a great deal. He'd been briefed on the mission planning behind the destruction of the Vyerni and the extraction, which was successful. He had put out the fires about the black eye he'd given Dr. Scott and she was well on her way to being ready to start the trials for the virus, very soon.

Still, there was something that would not give him peace and it was at the edge of his mind whenever there was any time that he wasn't fully engaged in things to do with the ship and the trials.

He knew his mission and the mission of his ship was to protect and maintain Dr. Scott, so that the vaccine could be created and replicated for the protection of the world, what was left of it. He and the Nathan James had been assigned that mission without his even being aware of it. Every one of his officers was the best in their fields. They were each the best the Navy had to offer in their areas of expertise. This was the best crew he had ever served with. They looked to him to lead and so far, thanks to the guy upstairs, he had not failed them.

He was sure he understood his duty, where Dr. Scott was concerned, at least until what had happened on the Vyerni, when she had passed him the note. He was still trying to come to grips with what had happened. Suddenly within seconds, they had been catapulted together, minds melded into one mission and in that joining, something elseemerged. The kiss had unlocked something within him, which had always been there, perhaps since she had first confronted him for ordering her off the ice. On some level, once having felt the power of that joining, he did not want to be without it.

He knew it was drawing him to Dr. Scott like a magnet. Because of that joining, he instinctively knew she had felt it too. He had seen the look on her face, before she had kissed him. She knew what this was, but he could not put his finger on it.

Dr. Scott was working late at the lab, but was almost ready to turn in. She had a big day tomorrow. She heard the door open and he was standing there looking at her with those piercing blue eyes of his. He had that look. She could tell he wanted answers. Why did he always want answers from her?

She said, " Captain, Good Evening. I can see something is bothering you. You might as well just tell me what it is."

He was surprised that she could read him so well, tonight. Even that was different. He came right to the point. "I came here to speak with you about something that Mike told me this morning, when we were going over the mission plan for the extraction. He told me that the passing of the note, with a kiss, was your idea and he told me that you told him it needed to be me. He said it was your decision to come to the Vyerni. That was very brave Dr. Scott, but I told you I did not want you to risk yourself. You are too important to our future survival."

She said, "Captain, I had already discovered that the vaccine worked. I still have tests to do, but it should be fine. Mike would not have let me off the ship, if I hadn't made that discovery at just the right time."

She said, "Captain, if you and Tex hadn't held off the Russians, so that Bertrice could be safely transported to me, there would have been no vaccine and we would have needed more monkeys. You risked your own life, without a second thought, to make sure I had what I needed for this mission. You ask me why I risked myself in order to get you back? I will tell you, Captain."

"Mike had already ordered all non-essential female personnel off the Bridge, because he knew that Ruskov would start torturing you as soon as he told him he wasn't sending me. Ruskov had only given him 10 minutes. The women who had been ordered off the bridge were all outside the Door when I got up to the Bridge to tell Mike about the vaccine. They told me what Ruskov was going to do to you and Tex, if Mike didn't give me to him. Captain, do you really think I could have stood there and let that happen to you, if I had the means to stop it? I knew I had a way to get you back. I had not figured it all out, but I knew we could do it, if we all put our heads together. I convinced Mike to tell Ruskov, he would send me."

"Captain", she said, "You do not realize how important you are to this whole mission…. how important you are to me ….and my work. You are my anchor. Your belief in me has steadied not only me, but your whole crew. You and I….. we are like one unit, when it comes to this mission. I know you have my back. I know you will protect me and my work when it is needed. I know because of you, your crew will protect the vaccine with their lives. When you were gone, I felt like there was a part of me missing, a part of my strength was no longer there. Nothing was the same on the ship, without you. I had to find a way to get you back from Ruskov, a way that might rid us of the danger he posed, once and for all."

"Captain, there is not one person on this ship who would not have risked their lives to get you off that ship. I was the only one Ruskov wanted. I was the only one who could set the trap for him. The rest of the plan you know. Mike agreed, after we made our plans." she said.

Tom said, softly," Yes it was a good plan, Rachel, but something happened, aside from your passing the note. You never told me what it was I saw in your eyes just before you kissed me to transfer the note. What was that, Rachel? "

She looked into his handsome face, his eyes were a different shade of blue in this light, with intensity, she'd only seen recently.

She had a flashback of the moment she saw him for the first time on the Vyerni. She remembered the things she had felt, as if she were reliving them, in the seconds before she ran to him that day. These things, she knew she could never reveal to him, not now, maybe never. She didn't even know how she could live with the feelings that were beginning to come out of the first realization of what this kiss really meant to her. She would love to be able to tell him what was rushing through her mind that day, when she first looked into his eyes. If she could, she would like tell him the truth, all of what she really felt, but she knew she had to protect him from that knowledge. If she could only say to him out loud, "Captain, You asked me why I kissed you like that."

"Maybe it was because… I was so relieved to see you alive again…. You were so…... so exhausted …..And in handcuffs…... your face so burned. I….I could not even help myself. I knew I was here to get you away from Ruskov and …...that I might never see you again….. I didn't know if the plan would work and we would all survive... I just suddenly knew how much I... depend on your being with me,... your presence on the Nathan James,... how much I need you…., how much I never want to be without you, again, ….. how much I…..." She could not finish the last words even if she was saying them only in her own mind, as she remembered the emotion she was feeling before she ran to Tom that day.

He stepped closer to her, touching her arms on either side, somehow sensing that she was measuring her words against what she was really feeling. He said softly, "Rachel?"

He saw tears come into her eyes. She already looked so vulnerable.

He said softly," Rachel? What is it? You can tell me."

She collected herself, forcing her voice to be steady, she said, "Tom, I was thinking of how grateful I was that you were still alive and that you were standing only a few feet from me, that I had a way to be able to get you back to the Nathan James. That is when I felt we were a single unit, together on this mission and then...the kiss kind of sealed that."

He stood there holding her, his heart going out to her. She said they were "a single unit", together in the mission. "A single unit". That went along with his feelings of being joined in this mission. That would cover his feeling of needing to protect her and to let her know she had his backing. He knew, on some level, that there was more to it than that, but this would have to be good enough for now. Being a single unit, together, would give the rationalization to both of them for his almost obsessive need to protect her. She seemed to need this explanation of their on going relationship, as much as he did. He was ok with this, even if he knew this was not all she felt, but it was good enough to steady his feelings for her into something he could deal with, for now.

He needed to be part of her life. They shared the goal of getting the vaccine made and out to the world. He knew he would be backing her, would be there for her during the trials. He knew he believed in her. She defied him and they had at times had angry words on certain occasions, but most of it was about her risking herself and him trying to protect her. She wanted to be free and he was always trying to keep her safe.

Yes, it must have been because he was feeling they were a unit, they belonged together in this mission. At least that was something he could deal with. The rest would have to wait. He did not want to deal with it now.

He thought of Darien and he could feel the love and the warmth he had for her overwhelm him. He knew he loved her with all of his heart and would always love her. He could not wait until they had the vaccine ready to be used and he could try to find Darien, the children and his father.

He returned his attention to Rachel who had pulled back from him. "Oh Tom, I am so sorry. I should not have said all of that."

Tom said," Rachel, I asked you what you were feeling. It helped me understand some of what I have been feeling also. I could not stomach the thought of Ruskov having his hands on you, or your being in his possession. I just knew we somehow had to get you back to the Nathan James and we were able to do that, thank God. None of it could have happened the way it did with out your being there, but, the risk was so great."

She said, "you and the extraction team did that, Captain. As I have said, we helped save each other."

He said, "Rachel, we have a bond between us. I know that, now. We will work together toward our common goal, as you say, as a single unit, to accomplish our mission. I want you to know I will always be here for you. I hope you know that."

She said, "Yes, Captain, I know that."

She saw that his eyes seemed less troubled and she was grateful for that.

He left her saying he had a few more things to go over in his quarters before turning in for the night. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

She herself was ready to turn in as well. She just wanted to take a long hot shower to get some of the kinks out.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

(This is a little touch of the of the M classification)

Rachel had finished the work she had to set up the interviews for the volunteers she had for the Trials tomorrow. She was really in need of a little relaxation in a hot shower. She had been looking forward to it. It was just before Midnight so there was probably no one in the showers. She hoped not, because she liked to stand right in the middle of the large group shower, when no one was there, because the shower jets were much stronger there and they hit at every angle of her body, very relaxing.

She stopped off at her quarters and changed into sweat pants and a T-shirt, She wore her shower shoes as she walked to the showers, without meeting a single person. She looked up at the signage to see if any of them were lit up, letting her know if the showers were already occupied. but none of the signs were lit. She then remembered how early she must be up in the morning and looked at her watch." Just about Midnight ," she thought. She took off her clothes and opened her locker and she placed them inside. She also put her shoes in the locker and closed it. At this time of night, she probably could have put the clothing on a bench and left it. No one would have bothered them.

She headed into the showers, turned on the lights and the water. She went to her favorite spot in the middle of the shower and let the water beat on her tired muscles and over her entire body as she turned one way and the other, so the water covered her from head to toe. She took the clip out of her hair, which she had piled on top of her head. She bent her head forward allowing her long hair to cascade down in front of her as she washed her hair with the shampoo she had brought with her into the shower. The sweet delicate scent wafted into the mist surrounding her, as her fingers disappeared into the suds. She rinsed her hair thoroughly, twisted it and piled it on top of her head, securing it with the clip at the crown of her head. She missed a few strands at the back, just enough so that some of it fell into a high ponytail, which ended at the nape of her slender neck.

She took the bar of soap, Navy issue. It always smelled fresh and clean. She slathered it over her entire body. She ran the bar of soap over her shoulders, her chest, down her stomach and then her arms and hips. She then took her hands and rubbed the lather into her skin. It felt so slippery and almost sensual. As she did this, she thought about the Captain and imagined him standing right here in the shower with her, as she remembered he was last night, his strong muscular body revealed to her in total, in all of it's glory.

She smiled at the thought and where it was leading.

As she ran her hands over the soapy contours of her body, she could almost feel his tall handsome presence standing behind her as he wrapped his arms around her, his large hands gently caressing the soft skin of her collarbone, her chest, sliding over her ribcage, her waist and onto her lower abdomen, as the warm water flowed over both of them. She could feel his body pressed into the entire length of her back... She turned around to face him. She could feel his desire for her increase as he pulled her into a closer embrace. She thought, how lovely that would be, if he could only be standing here with her. She could not help herself with that image of his wonderful muscular body standing facing her, as he caressed every curve over the contours of her back, sliding down her slender waist and over her hips and below. She did not want him to stop.

She shook her head as if to clear her mind of this troubling thought, as she began to come to her senses. She started rinsing the soap off of her body. There was no use thinking of him like that. No matter how much she cared for him, he was a married man and he loved his wife and that was that. She would deal with it. At least she could be near him. They had a lot of work to do together. It was as much as he was able to give her and it would have to be enough. Anything like what she was thinking of sharing with him in the shower was not possible and probably never would be. Oh, but it was such a beautiful fantasy. She laughed out loud at the thought. It was not a memory she wanted to give up, not tonight.

...

The Captain finished reading his reports a bit later than he thought. It had been a long day, but he now just wanted to take a quick shower and he would be ready for bed. He was looking forward to the hot relaxing water. No one was in the showers usually at this time of night. It was after midnight. He took off his BDUs and put on some sweatpants and a T-shirt. He probably would not run into any of the crew on the way. He put on a pair of tennis shoes.

When he arrived at the showers, he looked up to make sure no one else had turned on the signage for" Male Officers", "Female Officers"," Male Enlisted," " Female Enlisted" notices, which could be turned on when any group was in the showers. This alerted anyone coming in if he or she was ok to proceed into the locker room. Usually there were no signs lit at this time of night. He flipped on the sign which read CAPTAIN and proceeded into the Locker room which had long benches lined up with steel lockers for clothing. Since it was only him, he did not bother with opening a locker. He just removed his clothing and headed into the showers. There was a large 4ft walkway with a 5 ft. tall wall between the door and the inside of the showers so none of the water from the jets would flow into the locker room and so one could pick up a dry towel on the way out of the showers. He had walked into the walkway, where he normally would switch on the water jets and the lights, but he heard the water already on. The lights were on also. He thought someone had forgotten to turn off the water and the lights,before leaving. The Captain frowned as he thought about this carelessness on the part of his crew. He made a mental note to tell Mike to put out a notice about turning everything off if you are the last one leaving the showers.

There was a glass wall that went from the top of the 5 foot wall to the ceiling, so the showers could be used throughout the entire room, when a number of the crew was in there at the same time, which is the normal way it was set up. The water was steaming the room up, but he knew that meant it was good and hot. When he reached the opening in the 5 foot wall, which was an entrance into the shower room, he stepped forward without a second thought, heading for his favorite spot, in the center, where the water jets could strike his entire body. He had only taken a couple of steps, when he looked up and saw her, standing under the jets in his favorite spot. He stopped himself in his tracks and stumbled backward, almost slipping on the wet surface. He backed into the walkway, behind the 5 ft wall, but where he could still see clearly into the shower.

It was Rachel. He was stunned. She must have failed to switch on the sign when she came in. He could not take his eyes off of her. He knew he should just turn around and walk out, but he could not help himself. Her body was like a white alabaster statue, glistening as the water ran over her smooth contours. He noticed the way she had piled her hair atop her head, giving her the appearance of a Greek goddess. , He marveled at how her slender neck flowed into the delicate perfection of her body. She was facing away from him so he had a perfect view of how the water trickled over her shoulders, down her back, past her tiny waist and over her hips, as it made it's way down the toned and sleek muscles of her legs to the delicate curve of her ankles, ending its journey finally, as it passed over her small exquisitely formed feet.

She had already slathered herself with soap and was now using her hands to complete the process. She was rubbing the soap in covering all the curves of her body, very slowly and sensuously. He was mesmerized as she ran her soapy hands over every inch of herself. She turned midway through and was now facing him as she continued the caressing of her skin. He found it almost erotic. She seemed to be feeling and enjoying the sensation of this and strangely he was feeling it also. She now faced him, though her head was tilted up, not looking in his direction. Her body was perfection and her delicate proportions were a pleasure to behold, as he drank in her beauty as the water and soap glistened on her skin, in the light. He could not help smiling to himself. She almost looked like a water nymph.

Watching her, he felt the familiar sensation in his abdomen, below his waist and lower.

Suddenly she shook herself and laughed out loud as she started to rinse herself in earnest. It looked as though she had suddenly realized that she was spending too much time in the shower. He wondered what she was laughing at. It was amazing her sudden change. It brought him to his senses as he realized he couldn't just stand here watching her. He physically shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the vision he had just seen.

She would be leaving the shower shortly. He had to walk away now. He could not let her find him here. He quickly exited the showers and walked into the locker room. He grabbed his sweatpants and put them on as fast as he could. He took his T- Shirt and his shoes and moved rapidly into the P-way. His feet were still wet and he had not picked up a towel on his way out. He slowed his pace a bit after he had gone a distance from the showers. He stopped and placed his shoes on the floor of the P-Way. He threw on his T-shirt, over his bare chest and knelt to put on his shoes and tie the laces. Then, he continued to his quarters. Once inside he just stood there, leaning against the steel door, completely stunned at what he had witnessed. "God, he said, I need to be made of stone. How am I going to erase that from my mind?"

Rachel had finished her long shower which she had thoroughly enjoyed. She was drying her hair with a towel and brushing it when she happened to notice some wet shiny spots near the exit from the locker room. She changed into her sweatpants and top and was ready to leave the locker room. She reached up to turn off the occupied signs and noticed that the sign read CAPTAIN. She gasped. She then remembered with a start, that she had not remembered to turn the sign on at all. It was blank when she arrived. Then she saw the wet footprints going down the P-way.

She said. "Oh, my God! The humiliation of what had happened hitting her like a cold bucket of water. She was so embarrassed. The Captain was here? He must have come to take a shower himself. It had been a long hard day for both of them. He had probably wanted to unwind before bed, the same as she did.

She thought of him watching her as she was imagining him being with her in the shower. Her face burned with embarrassment, as she remembered how she had imagined him touching her, as she had used her own hands to wash herself. At least he couldn't read her mind. Now, she could picture him as he'd stepped right into the shower and probably did not see her until he was practically on top of her..Well, now she laughed at herself and the situation. Last night, when she was with him in his quarters, she had seen all of him and tonight, here, in the showers, he had seen all of her. She could not even comprehend how this made her feel.

She thought, "I can't believe I forgot to switch the sign on." She thought of the Captain, coming here to take a late night shower, looking forward to some alone time to get some of the stress off and he walks innocently into yet another situation. She had seen his wet footprints, which meant he sure left in a hurry, with no shoes on and he forgot to turn off his own sign. It must have been a real shock for him seeing her. Her face was on fire with embarrassment.

She wondered exactly how much he had seen. It was all her fault, but she hoped he was a gentleman and had turned around and walked out. She had to hope so. Yes, he would have just walked out.

The one thing she had not taken into consideration was that the Captain was first and foremost, a male.

...

The Captain was in bed trying to get Rachel and the image of her naked body out of his mind, when he suddenly remembered he had not switched off his CAPTAIN sign at the showers. Oh God, he hoped she had not noticed. He knew he could not just leave the sign on like that. The Crew would come in for their usual showers in the morning and seeing that the Captain was in the showers, none of them would come in. He got up, put on his sweat pants and T-shirt and walked again to the showers.

When he got there, he found that the sign had been switched off. He shook his head. Well so much for not letting her know he was there. There was only one person who could have turned that sign off. He swallowed hard. She knew.

He walked slowly back to his quarters, not knowing exactly how he could face her, but face her he must. Now, how was he going to sleep? Somehow, he had to turn it all off and take it out of his mind. She had a great deal going on with the trials and he didn't need any distractions either. She had told him he could come to the interviewing of the volunteers the next morning. Well, somehow, he would deal with it tomorrow, actually it was already today. Now, to try to get some sleep. He would just act normally and she would think he had just walked out, like he should have done. She would know he had seen her without her clothes, but she had darn sure seen him without his. He hadn't thought much about the fact she had seen him. Men don't think much about themselves being seen nude. Men have run around locker rooms naked from Junior High on. Group showers was the norm. It wasn't until he was Captain that he had the privilege of showering alone, in all the years he was in the Navy.

Women, on the other hand, are not use to that and they get very embarrassed. Rachel had not used the smaller stalls that were in a different part of the showers. She probably showered at off hours so she could shower alone in his spot. Well, at least she knew the best place to take a shower. He liked to just stand there, after he'd washed himself and just let the water hit every part of him. It was very relaxing and he had spent time taking long showers himself at off hours. He liked to do some of his hard thinking standing there. Well, he hoped she had learned her lesson. He would not like a repeat of what had happened tonight,... or would he? He smiled to himself as he drifted off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8 The Morning After

Chapter 8 (The Morning After)

Rachel did not go to the Ward Room before the trials. She really did not want to run into Captain Chandler after what had happened last night at the Showers. She still could not really think about him actually seeing what she was doing in the showers. She kept telling herself that he must have turned around and walked out as soon as he saw her. That is what he would do, isn't it?

On the other hand, what if he had stayed and watched her. She wasn't even sure when he came into the showers, but she was sure he left in a hurry, not long before she came out. He obviously did not want her to know that he had been there, but the footprints were fresh and he had even forgotten to turn off his own CAPTAIN sign. That had to show, he was disturbed enough to not be thinking straight. "Oh God, what had he seen?" she thought.

The Captain had decided that he was not going to beat around the bush. They weren't teenagers, though he was embarrassed enough about how he had left the showers with half of his clothes on and barefoot. On top of that, he had not thought to turn out his own CAPTAIN sign. This was certainly no way for a grown man, not to mention someone of his rank, to behave. He said to himself, "Well, I could have just walked out." Then he answered himself, "Oh yeah, If I was made of stone, I could have just walked out."

If it had just been anyone else, he would have had no problem walking out, but Rachel, after he saw her there, he could not take his eyes off of her. This troubled him greatly, but he knew he couldn't let himself be distracted by it now, not with what was at stake with the trials.

He knew he had to say something to her. They could not avoid each other during this time. He knew she would be heavy into the preparations for the trials. He would just say something light to her, in an offhanded manner. Maybe she could just put it out of her mind. She needed to be thinking about the trials and nothing else. They both needed to work together during this time and neither of them needed this shower thing between them, at least not right now. Damn, why had she forgotten to turn on the sign at the showers, in the first place? Why had he done something he had never done before, in all the years he had been captain, forgotten to turn his own sign off, when at the showers?She would never have known he had been there!

He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. What was it about Dr. Rachel Scott? Within 48 hours, he had given her a black eye and now he'd walked in on her in the shower. They had both decided to take showers at the same time, after midnight. How could that have happened?

He walked into the lab area where there were tables set up to have the interviews. He saw Dr. Scott. She had a clipboard and was directing some of his crew,where the chairs would be set up. He saw her look over at him and then away quickly, as if she didn't want to make eye contact. He would have to make her look at him. He cleared his throat and said, "Dr. Scott, Word!"

She paused with what she was doing. She knew that, "Word", was an order to stop whatever she was doing, because he had something to say to her. His crew also knew that meant that they were to leave the area so that he could speak privately to her. It usually meant he was not happy because of something she had done. She had heard it often enough.

She slowly turned around to face him. She looked up into his eyes, which looked deeply into her own .There was a strange look she had never seen, before, as if he was seeing her in a different light, for the first time. She could not tell what he might be upset about. In fact, he did not look upset, just thoughtful,

He said, "Dr. Scott, I just wanted to thank you!"

Completely surprised by this, she said, "For what?"

He said "For turning my CAPTAIN sign off, at the showers, last night, after I left."

She said, "On the contrary, Captain Chandler, I should be thanking you."

He said, somewhat mystified, "For what?"

She said "For turning around and walking out!"

He looked down at her and she could see the sparkles of humor light up his piercing blue eyes. He raised his eyebrow and said, softly, a slight inflection in his voice and with only the slightest upturn at the corners of his lips, "Oh, ….It was…..my pleasure, Dr. Scott."

The blood rushed to her face as she realized that he certainly had not turned around and walked out. Oh my God, he must have seen almost the whole thing. Then she took hold of herself, thinking well at least he couldn't read her mind. He did not know that she had been wishing he was there, in the shower with her.

He saw her distress immediately and was furious with himself, for making her feel uncomfortable. That is not what he had intended to do and was certainly the opposite of how he wanted her to feel about the whole thing.

He said," Dr. Scott, I just wanted to let you know that I am behind you 100% and If there is anything you need during the trials, I will make sure you have it. Whatever happened last night at the showers, just get that out of your mind, for now. You have important work today and you do not need distractions."

She nodded to him, though she could not look directly into his eyes. He was right. Whatever she felt about the showers, she needed her full concentration now and he knew it also. She was aware now, that whatever he felt about the showers would not go away, but for now, she put it on a top shelf, where she did not have to think about it. Not now.

He drew a deep breath and left the lab area. He had to get hold of himself also. Looking into her eyes, he had a problem not seeing her in the state she had been last night. That was not good. What was the matter with him? He wasn't a damn teenager. He was furious with himself. . He went up on the bridge. It was not lost on Mike that something was bothering the Captain. When he noticed the frown on the Captain's face. He said, what's up, Tom, you look like you've got a burr up your ass. Do we have a problem? "

The Captain quickly took control of himself, not realizing he was broadcasting his feelings for anyone to see. "Why no, Mike, I just didn't sleep very well last night."

Mike looked at him closely and said, "I'm not surprised you haven't slept very well, after all that has happened to you in the last week."

He wondered if any of this had to do with Dr. Scott. He still had not had a chance to ask Tex about how the Captain had reacted when Dr. Scott kissed him on the Vyerni. He remembered the answer he got from the Captain about that and he knew his friend well enough to know he was not really telling him the truth about what he'd felt about that. Maybe Tom was having some delayed reactions. Dr. Scott was a beautiful woman and he didn't even know how he himself would have reacted to suddenly being kissed full force by her, without any warning, even if it was just to pass the note.

The Captain said quickly changing the subject, "I was just thinking about the trials. I think that one or both of us need to be at the trials over the next few days, depending on what is going on. Our volunteers would know they are not alone in this and Dr. Scott would know that we are there to get her anything she needs. If anything goes South, God forbid, we will be there for them all."

Mike was not surprised that he wanted both of them involved, where there was any danger to their people. He wondered who the other 5 volunteers would be. He and the Captain went to the Ward room to have breakfast and a cup of coffee, before they would be heading down to the lab for the interviews. The whole crew was family to them.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 (The Trials)

The interviews were already set up for the Trials. Captain Chandler and Commander Slattery were standing back watching which of the crew had offered to be one of the SIX who would be ultimately chosen as the best candidates to have the new Virus vaccine prototype tested on them. Dr. Scott was very confident that this would be a great success. The last monkey was alive and well after being injected with this formula. Unfortunately, Dr. Scott was wrong in this assessment.

….

They had already lost one of the six and it did not look good right now. The Captain had given Lt. Green permission to suit up in the bio-hazard gear, to stay with Kara as long as it took, now that he knew she was pregnant, even though they were keeping the news from her at this point. Kara was one of the original Six. Dr. Scott had found out that Kara was pregnant, which was missed in the original testing for volunteers. Under normal circumstances, she would not have been allowed to be a candidate, had they known of her condition.

They had already lost one of the six and it did not look good right now. For some unknown reason the vaccine prototype that worked on the monkey was not working for the volunteers. Dr. Scott had been working tirelessly, without stop, to think of every possible solution she could come up with, but nothing they had tried had worked so far. The Captain had issued a directive that anyone who wanted to come and visit the five volunteers, should do so now. Some of them were too sick to respond, but they all knew that people who cared about them were there.

They had even tried using plasma from Bertrice, even though Dr. Scott had said it would not work, She was right, it had not worked. The remaining volunteers, some of the finest members of his crew and Tex, one of his most valuable additions, were all dying, if they could not find some way of saving them. They were all getting worse. Most of them were delirious. The Master Chief, had gotten up, in his delirium and Dr. Scott was not strong enough to control him. He could have taken the whole containment area down, exposing the whole ship to the virus. Fortunately Dr. Tophet, finally held him while they were able to get a shot of tranquilizer into him. The Captain had suited up in the same Bio Hazard gear that the doctors were wearing. He had decided his people needed him inside with them, rather than just watching from the outside. If everything was going south, then he did not want them alone. He wasn't about to let anything like that happen again. He had watched all that went on from outside the Containment area, but not anymore. He now had Lt. Green, the head of his Navy Seal team suited up to be with Kara and he could, in a pinch, handle Tex, if he became violent. They had not thought of using restraints on them, while they were delirious. He hated restraints himself, but that was another story. He told Tophet to have tranquilizer hypos ready just in case. He himself or Lt. Green, would be there if need be to help. He knew Dr. Tophet alone could not handle Tex if he became violently delirious, as the Master Chief had. For the most part, all of them, at this point were too sick to be moving around too much.

The Captain had watched Dr. Scott, over the hours, from outside the containment area, handle critical situation after critical situation and even the death of one of the Six. He had stood with her, in spirit. He would stand with her and do what he could do to help, now that things were getting rough. He knew how hard she had worked, through all of it, racking her brain to find a solution to the current problems. It, now, seemed that the vaccine was failing and that all of his volunteers might be lost.. He was heartsick for his people. These were all key members of his crew and they were like family to him and Mike, not to mention the other members of the crew.

The captain went around to each of the volunteers and spoke with them, helping in whatever way he could to let them know they were not alone. After a while, he did not see Dr. Scott. She had gone out of the containment area. He was worried about her. She was absolutely exhausted, he knew. He had to find her. He took off the Bio-Hazard Gear and looked around outside the containment area. He did not see her. He stepped into the area where they had all of the other boxes and equipment, the Monkey and a sink and cabinets. It was a bit away from the containment area.

He heard Dr. Tophet saying to Dr. Scott., "Rachel, You are the best there is. "

Dr. Tophet nodded to him as he passed him going back to the containment area. The Captain still did not see Dr. Scott.

He walked farther into the room and then he saw her. She was sitting on the floor, with her knees drawn up to her chest, in a corner created by cabinets and crates of supplies.. She looked utterly exhausted and at the end of her rope. He saw something he had never seen before on her face, when she was working on the virus…. Fear….. She was doubting herself. He could see she had splashed herself with water, trying to clear her head. She looked like she had been crying.

Rachel was the strongest, most passionate and possibly the most stubborn woman he had ever known, He had never seen her give up on anything that she wanted to accomplish. Now she was having her moment of weakness, which happens with everyone, but they were in the middle of the battle of their lives and she could not be allowed to stay in this state. His military training took over and buried his first instinct which was to take her into his arms and comfort her.

The Captain stood looking down at Rachel. He took a deep breath and gave her a sharp command that he knew would brook no argument. "On your feet, Dr, Scott! Give me your arm!"

As shocked as she was at his sudden appearance, she took his arm instinctively. She felt his strength run through her arm and into her body, like an electric shock, as he pulled her into a standing position, in one motion. He still held on to her in that standing position, but at arm's length, as he looked deeply into her eyes. His eyes were locked on hers and the strength of his commanding demeanor made her listen to every word he said.

"Dr. Scott, I once told you that I didn't know you. I have to admit, I was pretty rough on you at the time. You were indignant that I didn't trust you when you said you were 100% sure that Lt. Green did not have the virus when he collapsed in the lounge. You were right to be indignant. I didn't know you then, In fact, I had no idea who I was dealing with, did I, Dr. Scott?"

He continued, "Well, I have to tell you, after all we have been through together, in this short amount of time, over even this last few days, I am learning to know you at a quantum speed. I do know this:You are the most courageous , stubborn and fearless women I have ever met! You don't give up!. You don't know the meaning of the word, impossible!."

Good God, Rachel, off the top of your head, you and you alone, gave Mike and my other strategic commanders the prime idea for how to get rid of the Russian threat, once and for all and you risked your life to do it! As angry as I was about my orders not being followed and the risk to you, the plan was brilliant and the logic, impeccable They built the rest of the strategy of that mission off of your idea, without which, it would never have even existed.

He continued." Dr. Scott, we are still in the fight of our lives. We thought the battle was won, but in the process it has taken a turn for the worse. So, you have to change or adjust your strategy. When you are at war, you have to focus on the strategy of how you can win….. Dr. Scott, There is a reason that you are the one who is here, now. You know more about this virus than anyone on the planet. You have to work with what you know and what you have at hand. The monkey survived, the very last monkey. That happened for a reason. Why is the same vaccine not working for our volunteers? There has to be an answer!"

He stressed, "Step back for a few minutes. Stay calm and for God's sake, get rid of that fear!. There is tremendous strength in your knowledge of this virus... Focus!... The answer has to be within you. Remember, Rachel, you are never alone. The Guy Upstairs has been with you this far and he is not about to desert you now. "

He stepped back, releasing his firm grip on her arms. "I am going to go back to the containment area, so you have some time to put your thoughts together. I will be with you, no matter what the outcome. About that, you can be sure, Rachel."

Rachel watched him leave. He looked back and gave her a strong nod of his head, as his eyes locked with hers in a silent understanding of their bond.

She was firmly on her feet, now and she felt the calming effect that his presence and his words had inspired in her. She took a deep breath and found her head was finally clear. She looked at the Monkey and said to him, "Why did you survive?"

After a moment of clear thought, the answer came to her. She answered her own question, "Because you aren't human" Her mind was running so fast, now, that she was amazed, " Oh my God, Of course, the human gene didn't affect you because you have no human genes. Why didn't I see this sooner? "

She headed for the lab, calling for Dr. Tophet.

The Captain heard the excitement in her voice, as she ran into the lab area. She said ," I have it. I don't know why I didn't see it sooner. We need to use the Arctic strain of the virus as a Trojan Horse to block the antibodies from recognizing the human gene."

The Captain smiled as he noticed she had used a battle strategy to come up with her solution to win this war on the virus, the Trojan Horse.

They both suited up again to go into the Containment area . Once they were again inside, he watched her, as she added a small amount of the pure arctic strain into each of the doses of vaccine that they would administer to the volunteers. Their eyes met and she smiled. Now, he could see that light in her eyes. She had it! She knew she had it! He stood there in utter awe of her, seeing the way her incredible mind worked, yet another facet revealed to him about this fascinating creature that was Rachel.

Rachel saw, as their eyes met, that he was with her, as he said he would be and he was not outside the containment area, watching. He was right here with her, now.

The new vaccine was administered. The Captain even gave the dose to his Master Chief. All of the volunteers started recovering from the virus. After a number of hours, they were all awake, sitting up and talking. Kara was sitting up talking animatedly to Danny. Danny came over to Dr. Scott and asked her about the baby quietly. She told him the baby would be born imune to the virus. He then went back to Kara to tell her that they were going to have a baby. Everyone was smiling. The Captain was smiling with them. He could not wait to speak to Dr. Scott alone about what all this could mean to the future of this mission. It looked like they had a success, but could it really be?

…..

Later, when all seemed right again, the Captain got out of his Bio Hazard gear and went looking for Dr. Scott. He had to speak to her and he had to speak to her now.

( hope you liked this chapter. It was a little hard to write, but it felt right to me. Any reviews would be welcome to let me know if you think I am on the right track. The next chapter is even harder to write, but I have been working on that and what is going on when they do the "hug" that is so much more than a "hug".


	10. Chapter 10 Embrace the Future

Chapter 10 (Trials –Embrace the Future)

He found her back in the area where they had spoken earlier .She had been taking a drink of water from the water bottle she was holding. She was by herself.

He came toward her, saying, almost hesitantly, "Can we talk…..about what I hope…is happening in there? " He pointed back in the direction of the Containment area.

She paused and looked at him, nodding slowly, a little smile on her face.

He said, "Do we have a working vaccine?"

She turned to face him saying, "We don't just have a vaccine. We have the cure."

He said, almost unable to speak for the emotion he was feeling, as his eyes began to fill with tears.

He moved closer to her, as he saw the tears also in her eyes, saying, "You mean…"

She said, a sob escaping from her lips," I mean we can cure people who are already sick." Now she was crying, all the pent up emotion or the last few days of the trials pouring out of her.

He shook his head as he could no longer deny the feelings he had for this incredible woman. He took her into his arms, engulfing her, as he held her close to his body, in an embrace that felt as if she belonged there. He wanted, at that moment, to hold her there forever. Again he felt that oneness with her that he had experienced, in part, in the kiss they had shared on the Vyerni. This time, however, he was holding her in his strong arms, protecting her from all outside forces and keeping her safe from any hurt.

He whispered, tears in his own eyes," Rachel….. Rachel." He raised his eyes to heaven, in tribute, thanking God for this precious woman, who now would be able to save what was left of this world. He felt such gratitude that he had been chosen to be her protector and part of such a profound mission. He had been there so many times and watched her working. She never gave up, even when he himself was impatient and doubting her, in the early stages and had then in the later stages pushed her to develop a working prototype herself, on the ship, when they could not find a place for her to do it on land. He pulled her even closer as if encompassing all of what he was feeling for her and he lowered his head to her neck, as he whispered her name, once again, in resignation to the true bond they shared.

"Rachel. You really have saved us all, what is left of humanity. . I am so proud of you and so grateful to you, after all you have been through, after all we've been through, together. But in the end, you did it! … You beat it!... Without you, there would be no going home for any of us…... Rachel, because of you, I may be able to get my family back, Darien, my children, my father. That you have done this….. Do you have any idea how much you mean to me, to all of us?"

Rachel fell into his waiting arms, releasing all of her pent up emotions at last, as she cried into his shoulder, tears of happiness for what they had accomplished, for let there be no mistake, she knew she could not have accomplished this without him. He had truly been her anchor. She felt the strength of his embrace as she wrapped her arms around his body, placing her hands on the muscles of his back. She felt his body respond to her touch, as she held him, feeling all of his own emotional response to their success and what it meant to him. She wished she could just stay there, so safe in his arms, as though she belonged there. God, she could not deny how much she had grown to love this man. He did not seem to want to let her go, either. She knew he cared for her deeply, but he probably called it part of the" bond" they shared.

She knew about this "bond" that they had, when ever they needed to get something done. It was like they did it with one mind, together. Even when they had fought over one thing or another, in the end, when the chips were down, they could depend on each other for support. There were some exceptions to this, when they were in totally opposing camps, usually when he was being what she considered overprotective and when she wanted her way and her freedom to do what ever she wanted on or off his ship. They were both strong and stubborn and there were clashes, but this only made her love him more.

Yes, it was her specific scientific knowledge that had found the cure, but without him, it could never have happened. He and his crew had done so much and overcome so many obstacles in the process. First, he had made her mission, his mission and his crew followed through, even though they had all been kept in the dark from the start. He had gotten Bertrice to her. Chen had saved her Arctic virus samples, by figuring a way to keep them cold, when the ship had no power. They had gotten her the monkeys and the equipment to develop a working prototype and a vaccine. Men and a woman had died for this mission, as the Captain himself had pointed out. Even the 5 who had been saved by the new cure, today, had been willing to give up their lives for this mission. How could she even think that she had developed the cure by herself? She could not take all the credit.

As she was being held in his embrace, she was also pouring out her love for him, with all her heart, all the while knowing that he must not hear that word from her lips.

She had felt it in the kiss, when at last she had been able to express even a fraction of her love for him, though he was handcuffed, his response was unbelievably strong, Now that he was free, his embrace was strong and true. She could not believe how hearing her name on his lips, repeated over and over in a ragged whisper, as his own tears were flowing, affected her. She could feel the beat of his heart as he held her so close, as she was overcome by the release of what he was really feeling, which he had held back for so long.

He lowered his head to her neck and he whispered her name again...He told her how proud he was of her and how grateful he was for all she had accomplished. She knew it would do no good to tell him how much he was a part of what she had done. He would have wanted no credit .His mind was on getting back to find his family and with helping get the cure out to as many people as they could. He spoke of how, because of her, he could now, turn the ship toward home. She prayed he would find his family. She loved him too much to even think of the pain he would suffer if he could not save his them. They all meant so much to him and they were all part of what he is. She so wanted that for him.

When he could no longer hold her in his arms, for fear that someone might miss them and walk in on them, he slowly and gently released her. He looked deeply into her eyes. His own eyes appeared almost turquoise to her because of the moistness still there from his emotional response during their embrace. He said so softly, "Rachel, get some sleep. That is an order!"

She said, laughingly, "Roger that, Captain, You can count on it."

They looked long into each others eyes, just experiencing what they meant to one another, one last time before saying good night. .


	11. Chapter 11 Mike's Secret Suspicion

Sorry you had to wait so long for more of the story, but I had the flu. I'm feeling much better now. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and a Merry Christmas now, a little late and a Happy New Year. Thank you all so much for your reviews and letting me know what you think about the story. They mean so much to me. It gives me such happiness to know what you all really think about the direction I'm going.

If you love the fanfiction, don't forget to check out the new music videos for The Last Ship Tom and Rachel by Pandora576 and Cathy Cath. They are fantastic. They really fit with all of our fics and personally give me great inspiration. These wonderful music videos keep us visually connected to our characters while we wait for the next season. Don't miss them. Love to you all.

Chapter 11 actually is in 3 parts. Hope you like. I know this one is a bit long.

Part One (Mike gets some his answers about what really happened on the Vyerni)

Mike entered the Wardroom and found Tex pouring a cup of coffee for himself. Mike was surprised to see that Tex was looking so well after his close call with the virus, when he was in Dr. Scott's Trials. He was a little thinner, but his color looked good. Mike said," Tex, how are you feeling? It's good to see you up and around."

Tex said, "You can't keep me down, Mike. I just wanted to see if I could catch the eye of a certain Doctor and I don't mean Tophet."

Mike chuckled. "Should I ask how that went?"

Tex looked thoughtful and ran his hand over his beard. "I don't know. She is a tough one to read. I know one thing, when we were on the Vyerni in the wardroom, I almost blew a gasket when she hauled off and kissed the Captain like that, right in front of me, Ruskov, his officers and the guards."

Mike had a little grin of satisfaction on his face. This was just the opening he'd been waiting for. Now maybe he could find out what the hell was going on with the Captain, since he returned from the Vyerni. The Captain was being a bit evasive about that kiss. Now, maybe he could figure it out. He said, "Tell me about it, Tex. I've been wondering how the Captain had reacted and how they had actually passed the note."

Tex didn't really want to think about it, much less talk about it, but maybe he could find out about who had decided on the plan of using the kiss to pass the note. He sat down with his cup of coffee and began to relate what had happened. "The guards came to the brig to bring the Captain and me up to the Wardroom on the Vyerni, where Ruskov was waiting. We each had our hands cuffed in front of us. The Captain was the first to step through the doorway. He was the first to see Dr. Scott standing there, across the room from us. I couldn't believe she was there on the Vyerni,"

The Captain said, "What the hell are you doing here?"

I saw the look on her face when she saw him. I can't even describe it, except that she looked like she had the Captain in her sites and she was not about to let him go. She took off like a bat out of hell, before any of the guards could stop her. She made a beeline straight for him and before he could get another word out of his mouth, she was planting that kiss on him, like there was no tomorrow. If that wasn't bad enough to fry my balls, I could not believe the way the Captain was kissing her back. God, they didn't even come up for air. Mike, I have to tell you, there was enough heat in that kiss to blow the top off a boiler. It looked like they had been having a thing together for a very long time. I was speechless and I really thought I had been played by the Captain. Even now, when I think about it, knowing what I didn't know then, that she was passing a note to him, I still can't believe it would have taken that much time. They were still going at it, way beyond the time it would have taken to pass that note. Ruskov just stood back with a knowing smile on his face and watched them. He'd waved the guards off. He sure thought there was something going on with them. He even made a comment about how now he understood why Dr. Scott had come to the Vyerni so fast. They looked like they couldn't get enough of each other. I could not believe it wasn't real. The thought that it was fake never even occurred to me. After all, I was steaming mad. Good God, the Captain and Dr. Scott, they didn't stop until the guards pulled them away from each other, by force. I looked directly at the Captain, but he wasn't looking at me. I've never seen him so angry. I realized that he was looking at Ruskov. They were facing off against each other, something fierce. You should have seen the look on Ruskov's face. The old bastard was gloating and throwing it in the Captain's face, that he had her, now. It made me angry as well. I could not even imagine what the son of a bitch might be planning to do to Dr. Scott."

At that point, the guards took hold of the Captain and me and we were taken back to the brig, where we read the note, discovered the blade and started planning our escape from our cell. We had to be at the ladderroom by 0400. Oh, the Captain di say one other thing. He said, "God Damn it! ' Why did he have to send her!' "

Mike said, "I guess he was pretty angry at me."

Tex said," After the way he was looking at Ruskov, I think it was more like furious enough to knock you flat, if he didn't kill you first."

Tex scratched his head. "Even though I know there is nothing between them, the Captain being married and all, I would have sworn they had something very strong going on, something they had hidden very well from everyone. But then, to hide something with that much heat behind it would be impossible, wouldn't it?"

Mike was wondering if Dr. Scott and the Captain had hidden it from themselves until that moment, or at least the Captain had. He wasn't sure about Dr. Scott. He thought back to the night they were planning their strategy. She had been unrelenting, trying to sell him and the other officers on her plan. She had convinced every one of them that there was no other way to accomplish the mission. She was strong, but he remembered the desperate look in her eyes, when she thought, for a moment that the other officers might not agree. She was fierce in her defense of her plans and they finally agreed that the plan should work, as long as the Captain did not give it away. Could she be a woman in love with the Captain? Somehow, he could not believe this of her. She knew the Captain loved his wife. But maybe when they were forced into this kiss, something had happened between them, besides the passing of the note. Perhaps it was something that neither of them could have anticipated, given the circumstances. Something was certainly bothering the Captain. He wasn't getting enough sleep and he was a bit short and quick to anger, lately. This was not like him.

Tex brought Mike's attention back to him, when he continued his story, after pouring another cup of coffee for himself. "When we were in the ocean, I had told the Captain I was sweet on the doctor. Later we were talking more seriously, about the possibility of dying out there in the ocean. The Captain said that he was not so much afraid of dying, but he was afraid of dying without being able to see his wife and kids again."

His face darkened. "When I was looking at them going at it in that kiss, I thought that he was certainly the most two' faced liar I'd ever met. I felt like I'd been kicked in the ass after I'd spilled my guts to him about being sweet on Dr. Scott."

He went on, "I really don't understand how that could have all been an act. I still look at them and wonder. I have nightmares about that kiss. Then, on top of that, when I heard she had been in his quarters and he'd given her a black eye. God, talk about feeling betrayed and angry. I went to his quarters to confront him. I asked him what the hell she was doing in his quarters."

Mike said, "Oh no, Tex, you actually confronted the Captain in his quarters and then you asked him a question like that? God, Tex." You are probably the only man on this ship who would dare do something like that."

Tex said ", You Damn right, I did, after what I heard in the showers. Those guys were all talking about it and there were some very off colored jokes about what she might have touched that caused the Captain to react like that."

Mike grimaced," Good God, Tex, you didn't tell him they said that?"

Tex looked down, "No, I'm not stupid, but he asked me where I had heard about him giving her a black eye. I told him I'd heard about it in the showers, that the whole crew was talking about it."

Mike said, "Oh I bet that got his attention."

Tex nodded, "You bet that got his attention. He was furious to say the least and he just left me standing there as he took off down the P-way, to take care of whatever was going on, I suppose. I got the rest of the story from some of the crew, as far as they knew it, but it wasn't until I went to see Dr. Scott's black eye for myself, that I figured out the whole story."

Mike was surprised, "She told you what actually happened?"

He looked directly into Mike's eyes, "No, but I put two and two together, knowing what the Captain knows about kill tactics. After hearing the circumstances, I was thinking he had probably used a kill tactic. She probably screamed when he threw her and he probably had come to his senses enough to deflect the killing blow, but not enough to avoid all injury. When I got to her and saw that black eye, I wasn't going to pull any punches. I just point blank asked her if the Captain had used a certain kill tactic on her. When she just stood there, saying nothing, I had my answer. I told her she was lucky to be alive and God knows I meant it."

Mike lowered his head, "Tex, I can assure you that nothing was going on with them. I had asked Dr. Scott to check on the Captain when I could not get him to wake up. I have to kick myself, even today, that I didn't warn her not to touch him, unless she could wake him up, first. You know the rest."

Tex shrugged his shoulders, "Yea, now I know he really didn't mean to hurt her and that he didn't even know she was in his quarters. I really respect the Captain and he and I have become friends, I think. That is what really vexed me all the more, about that kiss. I do know he considers her, his responsibility. As soon as we got Dr. Scott out of the Lab on the Vyerni, the Captain never left her side. He stuck to her like a tick on a hound dog. She'd been in shock, having just shot that Russian officer in the head. The Captain had been able to take the gun out of her hand, even as she was pointing it right at him. He took her wrist and led her out of the lab, until she came to her senses. He was protecting her through all the fighting and the bombs going off, until she was safely off the Vyerni and we were all on our way back to the Nathan James."

Tex shook his head, "I keep seeing that kiss replayed in my mind and I wonder if I have any chance with her. She didn't look at me once during that time on the Vyerni."

Mike said, "Well Tex, your name did come up, when we were in our discussions about which of you, she should kiss. If she could not have gotten to the Captain, it would have been you. We thought that the Captain, being married, would know right away, that the reason for the kiss would not have been romantic. You, on the other hand have made no secret of the fact you have feelings for Dr. Scott. That could have cost precious time, if she had kissed you. It was vital she got that note to the two of you. The whole mission hinged on you and the Captain having that information. The Captain was the first choice for that reason. Also, because of your interest in her, if she had looked at you at all, you might have blown the whole idea of them being lovers, which was what Ruskov was supposed to think."

Tex could see Mike's point and was happy to know that they had discussed the possibility of using him. Her reaction of ignoring him, under the circumstances, now made complete sense.

At this point in their conversation, the Captain walked into the Wardroom. He greeted the two of them and poured a mug of coffee for himself. He leaned on the table and said, "Mike, I am going to make the announcement to the crew that we are heading for home. Dr. Scott will have the inoculations ready for the crew by tomorrow and then we need to find a location to make more of the vaccine. We need a facility, so we might as well head for home right away, at least toward the East Coast. I hope I will be able to get close enough to be able to contact my father at his cabin and then maybe I can bring my family back to the Nathan James. I only hope to God, they are still safe. If we have any contacts with any more families of the crew, we can see what we can do to save as many as we can."

Mike agreed. He left for the bridge to carry out the order. The Captain would make his announcement after the ship was set on its new course. Mike also wanted to see if he could contact his family again, now that they had the cure.

Tex felt a bit better, now that the Captain was talking about finding his wife and children, maybe, he could just forget about what he'd seen on the Vyerni.

Mike, on the other hand, now, had a very good picture of what had happened on the Vyerni. His mind was working on solving the mystery, if there was one. None of them had any idea of the consequences that this kiss had brought about. The Captain must have had some feelings for Rachel before that, but maybe he had never had any reason to have a physical contact with her. Then, to suddenly have that kiss forced upon him, involving such a dramatic and life threatening situation, it had just added fuel to the flame. Now the Captain was probably trying to deal with what, it seemed, he had uncovered about his own feelings, when Dr. Scott had kissed him and about how he had responded with such passion. Mike never would have known about this, if he had not had this conversation with Tex.

Now, Mike could understand how the Captain might be having trouble dealing with what he'd uncovered. Then, when he had accidentally given Dr. Scott the black eye, the Captain was so worried about how he had hurt her. That didn't help the situation and he himself felt partially to blame for that happening. Mike knew he was going to have to keep an eye on his Captain and on Dr. Scott. He had noticed how the Captain looked at her and how she looked at him, when they were in the same room, since they got back from the Vyerni. Something had certainly changed between them. Hopefully, the Captain would be reunited with his family soon and all would work out. Mike knew that the Captain's loyalty to Darien and his family had always been the center of his life. About that, he was certain.

XXXXXXXXXXX

(The Captain's Inoculation) Part Two

The next morning, Mike and The Master Chief were out on deck with the whole crew, who were each being given Dr. Scott's vaccine, which would make them immune to the deadliest plague the world had ever known.

Dr. Scott had come to the Captains quarters to give him his injection. When she knocked, he opened the door. He saw it was Dr. Scott, with a small medical bag. He ushered her into the room. She said," Captain, after all we have been through together, to get this working vaccine, I wanted to give you your injection, myself."

He responded, "Dr. Scott, are you sure you have enough for my entire crew?"

Rachel smiled," Yes, Captain. I have enough for everyone on this ship plus an extra 60 doses."

He sat down on a tall looked at her, with sheer admiration and something else. He said, softly "Happy?"

She looked up at him, "I don't remember how long it has been since I felt that emotion." She was preparing the inoculation she would give him. She walked to where he sat on the tall stool.

He looked at her with such tenderness and admiration as he said softly, almost intimately, "Rachel."…... As he looked at her so close to him, another image came unbidden to his mind and to his heart. He looked into her eyes now, and was again seeing her exquisite form, as she stood before him that night in the showers, completely unaware of his presence, as the water glistened in the light, as it ran unimpaired down the length of her body, to her feet. He remembered everything in vivid detail. Sometimes his photographic memory was a curse, but today he reveled in the sight he was remembering with absolute clarity. He marveled at how an incredible mind like hers could be housed in a body which was, for all intents and purposes, a work of art, which he had, but for a brief few moments, been allowed to feast his eyes upon, forever branding her form and features on his brain and on his heart. He was again mesmerized by her. He could not take his eyes from her, even for a minute.

At the sound of her name, spoken almost like a caress, she raised her eyes to meet his. There was a look she had never seen there before. She could not hide the love she had for him. She could hardly breathe, she was so close to him. It almost felt as though he would kiss her, but she knew he could not. He said softly, in the same tone he had said her name," You did it…...Let's enjoy the moment."

Rachel looked down and nodded in agreement, bringing her back to what she came here to do.

He wanted to share this moment with her and he followed every move she made, recording it on his memory, as he pulled up the short sleeve on his T-shirt, baring his right arm for her. She gently thrust the needle into his arm and then sent the gift of her lifesaving formula into the body of the man, who she now knew she loved more than life itself. A man, who had risked his own life and the lives of his crew many times over to save hers and to provide all she needed to complete this project. She thought," Yes, Captain, let's enjoy this moment, a moment in time that only the two of us could share." She now had shared a few of those moments with him and he had responded as fully as he could, but this time, something was different. She did not know what that look in his eyes meant. With him sitting on that stool, he was eye level to her as she stood in front of him. Strangely, it appeared as though he was feeling what she was, but that could not be, because she did not see guilt there. She had already pledged that no matter what she felt herself, she would never be part of doing something which he might consider to be disloyal to his wife. Rachel knew that she loved him too much to ever do that.

He welcomed the sting, as the vaccine was injected into his arm. This was indeed a moment he never wanted to forget. As he felt the vaccine enter his arm, he knew it was a gift from Rachel, a gift of life for him. He would never forget this moment. As Rachel finished, she swabbed his arm with alcohol. He brushed her fingers for a second as he pulled his sleeve into place. He gently rubbed, through his shirt sleeve, the place where he had received that precious gift from her.

She raised her eyes and lost herself in the depths of his blue ones, which had the softest expression she had ever seen in them and she knew they had never left her during the entire procedure. She again felt the now familiar sensation, that meeting of the minds and dare she say, hearts, even though he was not touching her. Still he was looking at her as though he wanted to hold her, as he had in the lab. She could feel the heat of his body and that almost a tangible force, drawing her to him. She breathed in his clean masculine scent, as he started to reach for her. She felt herself begin to give in to the force drawing her toward him. She so wanted to be engulfed in his arms, again. She knew he would not kiss her, but just to be held by him would be enough. She was so near him, she could feel his breath on her ear as he raised his arms to pull her closer to his body. She was almost in his arms, when they heard a knock at the door of his quarters.

XXXXXXXXXX

(Permission To Speak Frankly) Part 3

It was as though someone had thrown a bucket of cold water over their bodies. The spell was broken. The Captain's arms fell to his sides and Rachel pulled herself away from him and walked immediately to her medical bag, across the room.

The Captain waited a moment in order to clear his head before he said, "Come."

The door was opened and Commander Slattery walked into the Captains quarters. He saw Rachel closing her medical bag. Mike looked at both of them and said," I hope I'm not interrupting anything, Captain. I wanted to let you know that we have just completed the inoculations of every last crew member and of course, Tex. I was told Dr. Scott was here as well."

The Captain said, "Yes, Very good, Mike. Dr. Scott has just given me the final inoculation. All of us on the Nathan James are the first in the world to receive this Vaccine. Well done, Dr. Scott, well done.

I will come up to the bridge shortly and I let the crew know that we will be listening for any radio broadcasts which might give us some idea of who might still be alive and if we might be able to find a facility Dr. Scott could use to make more of the vaccine. . Thank you again, Dr. Scott, for coming here to personally give me the vaccine."

He walked with her to the door and opened it for her. There eyes met for a moment with meaning. She said, Thank You, Captain, for all your help."

After Dr. Scott had left, He closed the door and turned to face his XO. He looked directly at Mike and cocked his head slightly." Now, Mike, would you like to inform me of the real reason you came to my quarters, just now?"

The Captain knew Mike well enough, after all these years, to know when something was bothering him.

Mike looked down, not wanting to meet his eyes, "Captain, permission to speak frankly?"

The Captain knew it had to be something personal, for Mike to use this formal way of asking permission to speak of something that would normally not be a subject that a lower ranking individual would be able to say to a superior officer or someone of a higher rank. The Captain did not have a good feeling about this. It would almost certainly be about something he and Mike would probably disagree on. The fact that Mike didn't want to look him in the eye, spoke of the sensitive subject matter he was about ready divulge.

Never the less, he said formally, "Permission granted."

Mike said," I am not quite sure how to say this, but I feel I must say it. Tom... I have noticed that you have not been yourself, since you returned from the Vyerni. Now, I know it must have been a very traumatic experience, but I think something happened when you were on the Vyerni and I am wondering if it had anything to do with the kiss you were given by Dr. Scott, to pass the note... Since you came back, you look at her in a different way. When ever you are in the same room with her, you hardly take your eyes off of her. Tom, this is not like you. I know you love Darien and something like that doesn't change over night."

The Captain blinked, not believing Mike had just accused him of betraying Darien. My God, what was Mike thinking? The Captain looked Mike straight in the eye and gave him a look of fury, the likes of which Mike had never seen directed at him."Commander Slattery, You have the unmitigated gall to accuse me of betraying my wife? You have overstepped the boundaries of our friendship! Do you really believe I would ever be capable of doing such a thing? Not, that I have to explain anything to you, but Darien is my life. She always has been and she always will be. I would never betray her!"

Mike said quickly, "I know Tom. I didn't say you were betraying her, but you are not the only one behaving in a different manner, since returning from the Vyerni. Rachel is always looking at you, when you happen not to be looking at her. It is the most incredible thing to watch happening. You seem to be drawn to each other like a magnet. Even when you are fighting with each other, there is still that magnetic pull. It's almost tangible, it is so strong. I can even feel it between you. I don't think you realize that it is happening, or do you? Is that why you have been so angry lately, so ready to fly off the handle. You have been snapping at the crew. You are furious with me now. Is it because you are trying to come to grips with this?"

The Captain's face was now dark with anger, his blue eyes flashing fire. His voice was as cold as a steel blade and just as cutting, as he almost shouted, Commander! You had better leave now! You have said enough! Is that clear?"

A stab of stark regret hit Mike in the chest. "Yes Captain, quite clear!"

He turned and left the Captain's quarters. He heard the steel door to the Captains quarters slammed shut, so hard that it made a thundering sound; he thought half the ship could have heard it. He now realized he had spoken too soon, because his friend had not figured out what was happening. He was too close to it. The Captain obviously loved his wife and would never think of betraying her, but he was having some kind of strong attraction to Dr. Scott, though it was pretty clear nothing had physically happened between them. He knew he had hit a chord, when he spoke about something happening between the Captain and Dr. Scott. The Captain was not that blind and if he himself could feel the force drawing them to each other, then certainly the Captain could feel it also. He had to know something was happening, but for some reason, he had never thought of it as betraying Darien. He also was surprised anyone was noticing. At least, the Captain might start looking at what was happening with his eyes open. He knew that he and the Captain, sometimes disagreed on certain things, but Tom, would always listen to what he had to say. He would always weigh all sides and do something about it. Often, it was not the solution he himself would have thought of. The Captain was a very intelligent man, but he trusted that Tom would have to think about what he had said. He just hoped he hadn't just lost his closest friend, over this.

If they could just find his family, the problem would take care of itself. He would say no more about it. The Captain was focused on finding his family and they would try to bring them back to the ship, if God willing, they had survived.

After Mike had left his quarters, The Captain wanted to put his fist through the steel door, but instead, he slammed the door with all the strength he had. It made a thundering sound. He ran his fingers through his hair and leaned against the door he had just slammed. He was shaking, he was so angry at what Mike had said. He had never felt the urge to physically throttle one of his officers before, but this time it was all he could do to hold himself in check, and this was his best friend.

He just stood there for a long time, letting his pounding heart slow down and his breathing come back to normal. As he did this, he asked himself if he had somehow, even in his mind, betrayed Darien. He thought of what had happened just before Mike had knocked on the door and how he was remembering what he had seen in the shower. Was that betraying her? Wouldn't he have felt guilt if he was betraying her?

He thought of his longing for Darien. Her face and her beautiful body were so clear in his mind. He felt his devotion to her as he recalled the wonderful times when he would come home and they would make love and make up for the long months he was away at sea. He could recall every detail of their life together, how he had been there for the birth of his son, Sam and how he was premature and might not have made it, but Sam had pulled through and he had been there to help Darien get through that. That kind of experience, they had shared. God how he loved Darien. He had not lied, when he had told Mike that Darien was his life. She always had been, along with his children. She was the mother of his children. What closer bond was there than to make children from their love, together. Then, as he thought of this, a terrible fear gripped him like a knife had been thrust into his heart. Could they already be gone? " Please God," he prayed with tears in his eyes, "please keep them safe until I can get to them." The thought of them being safe at the cabin with his father had helped him keep going. He had to stay strong for his crew, for they were his family on the Nathan James and for Dr. Scott, so they could get the mission done. That was his duty before anything else. They could now save what was left of the human race. If his bond with Rachel was a problem, he would have to somehow figure it out. For now, until he did, he would have to keep some distance from her. He did not realize he watched her and she probably did not realize she watched him, but if Mike saw it, then the crew might and that could undermine their respect for him as their Captain. He had to maintain their faith in him as there leader, at all cost.

The thought of not being around Rachel felt like a physical blow to him, but somehow, he would have to be around her less and when they were together, they must not show that they were as close as they had become. He wished that he had never seen her in the showers, but then he knew he didn't mean that. It was one of the most beautiful things he had ever experienced and even if he wanted to, he could not get rid of that memory. He knew there was an attraction, but he'd always thought it was something that was separate from his life with Darien. They had called it their bond, but today he realized that he had wanted to hold her, again. Was it all to protect her? He had always known he would not ever have a physical relationship with Rachel. He could never think of that happening. Somehow that did not equate as the same thing as if he kissed her. That had been forced on him on the Vyerni, but then he thought about his reaction to it, as he kissed her back, it was not forced. It was real. God, Had he been betraying Darien without even realizing it?

TBC


	12. Chapter 12 Wake Up Call)

For those of you who have been busy with the holiday, which is practically everyone. Be sure that you read Chapter 11 before this one. I posted that, only a few days ago and some may have missed it. Without that Chapter, you won't understand this one.

Chapter 12 (Wake Up Call)

During the remainder of the day, The Captain made it a point to avoid being in much contact with Dr. Scott. He was unsure what to say to her and how to act at the present time, especially if Mike was around, since he now knew they were being watched. He hated that. He just needed to speak with her alone so he could explain ….explain what? He chided himself. He still could not figure it out himself. How had this actually happened? Why was he so taken by surprise?

Actually, Mike was walking around on eggshells where the Captain was concerned, after his reaction to what Mike had said in his quarters, earlier. The Captain had not really spoken to him, except to take care of the formal running of the ship. There was none of their usual friendly banter going on. The Captain avoided meeting Mike's eyes, whenever they came in contact during the day.

The problem was Mike and his deductive reasoning was infuriating, but he was probably spot on about what the crew could be seeing. The Captain felt like a fool for not realizing himself what he and Dr. Scot were doing, in a since, broadcasting their "affection" for each other. He would not allow that with his crew and it certainly should not be displayed in his own behavior. Fortunately, most of it had been done in private, as far as he knew. He hoped no one else was watching them as Mike had been.

He felt bad for Rachel. When she came into the wardroom, he left, except when he, Mike, the Master Chief and Rachel were having a meeting to discuss the kinds of facility she would need to make the vaccine in mass. He would not meet her eyes with his. He did not look at her at all. He had to force himself not to. His face was like stone today. He felt very uncomfortable with what Mike had forced him to see.

Mike was worried. The Captain did not smile at anyone today. He stayed to himself as much as he was able. Rachel was also worried. She had never seen him like this, except when they had a big argument and he was not getting his way. Something was really bothering him, she could tell, but she could not get him to even meet her eyes so she could express any concern. Each time she tried to get close enough to even whisper to him, he moved as far away from her as possible. What had happened? Had she done something wrong?

Rachel knew she had to corner him someplace and make him answer her. He would not come to her lab today, of that she was sure. She could not make him stay in the wardroom long enough to talk to him and they never knew if they would be interrupted.

Rachel finally decided she had only one choice. She had to go to the Captain's quarters. She made up her mind that she would have to confront him directly, on his own ground. She was not one to give up. He didn't know her very well, if he thought he could just not speak to her or even look at her, with no explanation. She was not going to let this go on any longer.

She waited for the time he normally came off duty on the bridge. She ducked back so the Captain would not see her as he closed the door to the bridge. He walked back to his quarters and she followed him at a safe distance. When Rachel met other members of the crew she smiled pleasantly and continued to move forward as if she had something important to do.

She went to the door of his quarters and she knocked. The Captain opened the door himself and for the first time today, she looked into his eyes and he into hers. He said, "Dr. Scott. You should not be here."

Determined she said "Tom, I need to speak with you."

He was not going to give in. "Not in my quarters, Rachel!

Her voice had a bit of an edge to it. "I am not having an argument with you, right here in the P-way!" Without another word, she walked right underneath his outstretched arm, which was holding the heavy door open, right past him and into his quarters, whether he liked it or not. He whirled around in amazement. How was it that she could always surprise him? There was not a single person he had ever met who would do something so completely out of order and against protocol. If there was one thing about her that he could be sure of, it was that she would be completely unpredictable. He had just told her they would not have this conversation in his quarters and she completely disregarded his order. Never the less, he closed the door behind him. What he had to say to her, he could not say with the door wide open. He almost laughed, the little minx. She walked right in as if she owned the place. He said, "Dr. Scott, the last time I checked, I am still the Captain of this ship and when I say we will not have this conversation in my quarters, I mean what I say."

He looked directly at her. The corners of her lips turned up in a little smirk, her eyes sparkling and he could see that she was loving this fight. "Well then, Captain, where do you propose we have this conversation, if not in your quarters? Perhaps, Captain, we should have our discussion in the showers at 0130. Would that be more appropriate?"

The Captain could not help imagining the absurdity of her suggestion. He was looking directly into her eyes, dancing with mischief and he could not stop himself. He burst out laughing as did Rachel. They laughed so hard their sides ached as they each tried to catch their breath.

A couple of minutes later, when he regained his ability to speak, he said," Rachel, only you could bring that up. You know that was completely your fault. You were the one who left your sign turned off." They continued the banter.

Rachel quipped, "You actually walked right in on me, didn't you?"

He grinned. "I didn't even know you were there, until I practically ran into you. You were standing right in my spot. I almost slipped, trying to back up so fast, after I saw you there..." They were both laughing again.

Rachel tilted her head up, as she gave him a quizzical look, teasing him again." Captain, you could have just walked out, you know. That would have been the polite thing to do and that is exactly what I thought you did. That is why I thanked you for turning around and walking out."

He quipped, "If I had just walked out, I could not have answered you the way I did."

Her voice was full of teasing.' I will never forget the look in your eyes when you were telling me that it was your pleasure. Yes, I bet it was your …pleasure, Captain. Then I knew for sure that you had not walked out at all."

She said, "It wasn't entirely my fault, you know. You left so fast that you forgot to turn off your Captain's sign. I would never even have known you were there, except that you left your wet footprints all the way down the P-way. You didn't even stop to get a towel or put your shoes on, did you?"

He grinned. "Well, I didn't walk back to my quarters, naked, if that is what you are implying, Rachel. With all that happened with the Trials, we never had a chance to discuss exactly how that little accident happened. It was pretty funny, when you think about it."

Rachel smiled impishly." At the time, I was really humiliated and embarrassed. Now, looking back, I can see the humor, but I certainly did not think it was funny when it happened. How in the world do we manage to get ourselves into such embarrassing situations?"

He said, "I don't know, Rachel, but we do have a few little secrets that only the two of us know about." His tone became softer, more thoughtful.

Rachel sensed that maybe they could talk a bit now. "Tom, you seem to be more yourself now. Please tell me why you have been so upset today. Is it something I have done?"

The Captain was silent for a moment, looking down. He did not know if he could talk about it. He knew that Rachel would be mortified, if he told her what Mike had said about the way both of them were behaving, per his observation.

He still needed to understand how this could have happened and what they were really feeling for each other, before he spoke to her about it.

For now, however, he needed to tell her something. He looked up again. "Rachel, I had a visit from Mike, this morning, after you left. To make a long story short, he thinks that something happened on the Vyerni, involving the kiss, between you and me. He thinks that it has affected the way we respond to one another. He said that we have to try to keep our distance from each other, physically and to watch how we look at each other. It is a bit embarrassing to say this to you, since I didn't even know I was doing this. Mike said you also have this problem with regard to looking at me. He is afraid that the crew will notice. I have been strict with my demand that the members of my crew do not show affection with another crew member. You are not one of my crew, Rachel, but I cannot be breaking my own rules."

Rachel was embarrassed. She knew she could not tell him that she loved him, for obvious reasons. She would need to look at him less and to try to not be in as much physical contact with him. This would be very hard. It must be very hard for him, judging from his horrible mood today, trying to do just that. At least if they both knew about it, there would not be such a need to speak to one another. She knew she was going to hate this.

She loved talking to him about what she was doing in the lab. He often needed to speak with her as well. They were just going to have to be more discreet. The mission demanded that they must have contact with each other and that would be on going. They just had to learn to do it in such a way that they did not attract attention to themselves.

He knew he was going to have to figure out what had actually happened, in reality. He needed to know if he had somehow betrayed Darien without realizing it or if it only appeared that way to Mike. He told her that he had some thinking to do and he would get back to her to let her know when he figured it out. He said he would find a way for them to meet here in his quarters, when he had found out some answers. She nodded her agreement. Rachel was very sure she needed to watch herself. She really loved the Captain and she must hide it from him and from the crew, especially from Mike.


	13. Chapter 13 Baltimore Rescue Part 1

Chapter 13 (Baltimore Rescue) Part 1

I am skipping to the end of the last show of the season. I was never thinking I would actually try to get everyone back on the ship, but I had a few ideas so here is the Part 1 of Baltimore Rescue. I hope you will like it. Some of this may have an "M" rating, depending on how you look at it.

(I have written the last 3 chapters in fairly short order over the Christmas and New Years holiday period and have noticed that many of the people who normally review what I write have been missing. I know there are many things going on during this time and people traveling. I just want to make sure none of you have missed the previous chapters before you hit this one. Happy New Year and I hope you let me know what you think about how this story is going. I love to hear your reviews and your ideas about what you think the characters will be reacting. Love you all. May 2015 be great for us all. Can't wait until the summer when the show will start up again.

Hope you are all watching all the beautiful new Rachel and Tom music Videos showing all of our favorite characters in action. Google them under The Last Ship Videos Tom and Rachel. If you haven't seen these, along with our fan fiction, you are missing something really special.

Baltimore Rescue Part 1

Captain Chandler stood on the outer terrace that circled that section of the Olympia Stadium with his two children, Ashley and Sam and his father. Ashley, his young daughter stood with her arms wrapped around her father's waist and The Captain's father held onto Sam, the younger son. Lt. Burke brought up the rear and had his guns ready to fight their way out of Olympia. The Captain was trying to take in all that he had seen.

Olympia was a place of death. The woman, Granderson and her men, what was left of the police, were systematically killing people who were sick with the virus, with lethal injections of some type of toxic substance. Then the dead were loaded onto trucks and taken to the Electrical plant where their bodies were burned to create electricity for certain parts of the city, primarily for Granderson's large facility.

It was very clear that she and her men did not want the Captain to go to Olympia, when he realized his father had taken the family there. Rather than let the Captain follow them to Olympia, the police, who had been sent to guard them against harm decided that they all should die. The Captain and his men had to defend themselves and all except for one of her men were killed and his Master Chief was wounded. Lt. Green had, on the Captain's order, taken the remaining vehicle with the Master Chief inside back to the ship, while the Captain and Burke went to Olympia to find the Captain's family. They found his family and he was able to give them each an injection of the vaccine. All of them had been saved, with the exception of Darien, the Captain's wife, who he loved more than life itself. She had not made it. He was too late to save her. He was devastated by her loss, but he did not have time to mourn her now. He had to get what was left of his family away from Olympia and back to the ship.

He tried to reach the ship by his communicator, but they did not answer at all. Something was very wrong at the ship. Somehow he would have to find a way out of this building, but that may not be that easy. All of his family was weak because of the virus. It would take hours, if not a few days of rest before they would be fully recovered. He couldn't have them running and he and Burke could not carry them and fight off what he knew may be coming for them, after the firefight in the street and the guards Burke had killed near the place where he had found Granderson's so called doctors were injecting the poor sick souls with their toxic death doses. He had heard one of the doctors asking for security to be sent. They had to leave, but he had no idea how to get out the building.

Suddenly, they heard someone coming. He motioned for his father and the children to get behind him and Burke. He and Burke took out their guns and held them ready.

A lone figure came into sight, holding a rifle. It was Tex. How in the world had he found them? Tex said, "Good, Captain, I've been trying to find you. You must come with me now. There is no time. I have to get you out of here."

The Captain had a million questions, but Tex seemed to know a way out, so he said, "Lead the way, Tex. I can't tell you how glad I am to see you here."

Tex said," Stay close behind me. Captain, keep the children behind you and Burke, you bring up the rear. You children drop to the floor if you hear any firing of the guns and keep your heads done on the floor until I tell you to get up."

The Captain suddenly realized that it was clear that Tex had command experience. He had not said much about his background, but being in command must have been part of it. In a second, Tex could switch to the command position, when necessary.

The Captain said, Tex, my family has the virus. I have given them the vaccine, but you know yourself how weak you are for a number of hours after, before you start feeling better. They can't do much running."

Tex knew first hand about that, since he had recovered from the full virus when he was in the trials. He said, "As soon as I get you out of this building, we can carry the children if need be. I have a vehicle we can put them in. I even have a safe house where we can take them to rest. You, I and burke have a great deal to do. We have to get Rachel and Lt. Granderson out of the Lab and to the safe house to help your family with their recovery. Captain, we got word that the Nathan James is being attacked by Granderson's men. A number of them have already boarded the Nathan James with guns. Mike is on the Bridge being held at gunpoint by Granderson's men."

The Captain said in stark amazement, "Tex how do you know all of this? "

Tex said "I will tell you all about it. when I get you out of here and to safely. Granderson has her men out looking for you, after your firefight in the streets and there are already people in this building looking for all of you. There are people you do not know who will be helping us. They will be wearing masks, so don't think they are the bad guys. They will help get your family to safety. Where is your wife?"

The Captain said, his voice cracking, "Tex, I didn't get to them in time. Darien didn't make it." He could barely get the words out and Tex could see the pain in his face and the stress in his body. It was clear, the Captain blamed himself.

Tex said with a look of sympathy, "God, Tom, I 'm so sorry."

The Captain could only nod his head in thanks for his words. He could not let himself think about Darien now. He had no idea how Tex knew all he did, but he was grateful for the briefing. Suddenly the Captain saw a man with a gas mask on his face and he started to raise his gun as did Burke.

Tex raised his hand in a motion to let the Captain know this man was someone who was with them. Tex had quick words with the man and he started to lead the way with Tex and the others following. The man unlocked a door and they went into an inside stairwell, which lead down. The Captain picked up his daughter and Burke picked up Sam and they carried them down the stairs. Tex helped the Captain's father. They went down 3 flights of stairs and Tex said hold up a minute so the Captains father could rest for a minute. The man with the mask said "We don't have a moment to lose. You may have to carry him, Tex. We don't have much further to go."

Jed said. "It is OK, I'll make it."

They went down one more flight of stars. The man unlocked another door and led them outside and down another flight of stairs to the ground. There was a large grey van. The Captain looked hard at Tex. "Tex, are you sure about these people? I am risking my family and I would never do that without knowing."

Tex said, Yes, I am sure and we don't have a moment to spare. Another man in full mask and gloves motioned them into the back of the van. They all got inside and the van took off. There was a communication device in the front of the van and they could hear what was being said. A voice was saying "Some of Granderson's men in uniform just pulled up to the main entrance of Olympia with plenty of fire power. You guys got out just in time. The place was already crawling with the regular security and now they have brought in some of the big guns, though almost everyone is down at the dock so they can take over the ship. There are very few with firepower left at the lab.

Captain Chandler said, "Tex, I have to get to the ship. I could not reach them by my communicator. Who are these people who are so knowledgeable about Granderson's plans and where her people are? "

Tex looked up at the Captain. "I will explain it as fast as I can, but first we have to get your family squared away in the safe house and then there is someone you have to meet. We have to get some reinforcements to take over the lab and get Rachel and Lt. Granderson out of there. Then we have to get to the ship with reinforcements. "

The Captain looked sharply at Tex. "Where are we going to get reinforcements, Tex? I am flying completely blind here and that is not how I operate. What the hell is going on here?"

Tex said, "Captain, As I have said, there is someone who is in command of our reinforcements and who knows about what happened with the firefight in the streets and about Granderson and about the death trap, Olympia. He has men inside of Granderson's camp undercover and we have complete intel on what is going on there and on the ship. Believe me. I have been knee deep in convincing this leader of your good intentions and that you were completely stunned by Granderson and her actions. After the fight in the streets and how your men reacted, he was convinced that he can work with our crew to take down Granderson and her thugs.

The Captain was impressed with all of the intel this man had on everything he was doing. Tex said that he even knows about how Burke had to fight off the security guards up where the Captain had discovered how the so called doctors were injecting people with a lethal toxic cocktail designed to end their lives as fast as they came to Olympia. This man, whoever he was, seemed to have eyes and ears everywhere and the Captain was very grateful for that.

Finally, the van turned into a rural road and then into a road, which led through a forest of trees to a large two story house with what looked like a three car garage. There was a large red X painted on the garage. One of the men got out of the van and unlocked the garage door. He opened the garage and the van was driven in.

Everyone was unloaded from the van. One of the men touched a hidden switch and the wall at the back of the garage opened and the whole group stepped into a large freight elevator, which took them down to a sub-basement. Tex told them that this wasn't just a safe house, but had been originally set up as a secret underground bomb shelter against an atomic blast. There were even showers set up for decontamination. Everything was run on solar power. Tex said to the Captain's father that he needed to get all the clothing off himself and the children and get into the showers and wash with soap inside. They would be given clean clothing when they came out on the other side. There were people to help them on the other side of the showers. Tex told the Captain and Burke that they needed to do the same thing, but that their clothing had been pretty well covered. They could put their clothes back on after they had been decontaminated. There was special infrared lighting that could be shined on the clothing to decontaminate it. Tex told them to hurry. After the children and Jed were out of the showers, Burke and the Captain and Tex all went through the decontamination process and were given back their clothes at the end of it. After they were dressed, the Captain looked at his children from a distance. They had been given fresh clothing and were being led off to bed rooms in the sub basement. Ashley was looking back at her father with fear in her eyes because they were with strangers. They were all wearing masks. She was clearly afraid.

The Captain went as close as he was allowed to them. He said, "Ashley, daddy has to go away for a while, but I will be back for you in a few hours. You, dad and Sam will be safe here and it is a place for you to rest until you are all well again. The shot I gave you will make you feel better and better, but you still need to rest for a while and you can't be around other people until all signs of the virus are gone. You will be immune to the virus in just a few hours and the people who are helping you now, will be able to be around you without their masks. You be good and do what they tell you. Daddy will be back soon." He blew her a kiss.

Tom said," Dad, we have to leave now. I have to get Dr. Scott away from that lab and they will be bringing her back here to monitor your recovery until I can get you back to the ship. She is the woman who made the vaccine that I just gave you and the children. I have to get her back. You will all be alright. You need rest to recover from the effects of the virus. Very soon, you will no longer be contagious. Get some rest. I will be back as soon as I can and I will take all of you back to the Nathan James with me."

His dad said, "Tom, be careful."

Tom nodded his head.

Tex said," Now there is someone you need to meet. Tex took them upstairs in the elevator and into the house. There was a man standing there looking at the Captain. Both men were sizing the other up. Tom could tell this man was a leader judging from the way the men around him jumped when he gave any order.

Tex said, "Captain, I would like you to meet the man who has effectively ordered your rescue and will assist us in saving our ship and crew. Captain Chandler, I would like you to meet the man who is known as Thornwald,"

The Captain looked stunned as did Burke, "You mean Thornwald, who Granderson called the Warlord?"

Tex said, "The same. The only thing is these guys are the good guys and Granderson is a little Hitler, with her death scientists, who pick and choose who lives and who dies , her death camps, her torture chambers and her elite police.

The Captain said, "Thornwald, I am happy to make your acquaintance, I think. We have been so bamboozled with Granderson, that I am a little afraid to hope you are for real. Since you rescued me, Burke here and my family, I am very grateful to you. From what Tex tells me, you have an extensive intelligence network. You literally know every move I have made since we got here and you seem to have a handle on a way for me to get all of my people back on my ship. What is in it for you? I am sure you are not risking your people without some idea of reward."

Thornwald finally spoke, "Captain, it is I who am happy to make your acquaintance and find that you are against what Granderson is all about. We were afraid you and your people would join her and make her stronger. We thought we would be enemies. With your fire power, that could be a problem for us. With her having the cure and the rest of us not, then she could gain great power and move out of this area and expand. I could not allow that. All of my Intel is letting us know we do not have much time, but we can do a lot if we work together. Granderson's men are in the process of taking over your ship and crew, which we need to stop, but she has left very few people guarding her lab and the whole operations facility. There were some even sent to hunt for you and your family at Olympia. That is good for us, but we must move fast. I don't have much time to explain all of what I am, which I have done with Tex, so I hope you can go on his gut feeling about me, because I don' t have near enough time to do it now. I can explain some of it to you on the way to the labs. My men inside are telling me that we must hurry, because, Granderson has had a big argument with your Dr. Scott who developed the vaccine and she will not tell them her formula, now that she found out about the toxic cocktail they are giving the people at Olympia to speed along their demise. They have taken her to the basement, along with Granderson's daughter, one of the members of your crew, who also refuses to give up any information about the location of the doctor's secret ingredients for the vaccine. We need to get them out of there fast, Captain."

Captain Chandler said, "What is in the basement?"

Thornwald said, looking down. They have cells down there, but also that is where they do their interrogations. We need to leave now. My men are ready to take over the lab and to take Granderson down; you will go to the basement and get Dr. Scott out, along with your Lt. Granderson.

Captain Chandler said. "Let's go. Thornwald, do you think you could get any of that equipment out of the lab. We need to make more vaccine. It was our intention to use this lab to make large quantities to give to everyone. It is a cure, not just a vaccine. I also need to get Dr. Scotts CDC samples back if they are still in the case. It is not all of what she needs, but until we find a real lab that equipment will help her develop more of the vaccine on the ship. I don't know if Granderson's people have used up the supply of vaccine we had, but if not you and your people are welcome to have some of it. There is not near enough for your population, but eventually, if they want to use Olympia as the place to go to get the cure, it will be an actual cure, not a death trap."

They were all loaded into a couple of the vans, and they were taking the grey van along to bring back, Dr. Scott and Lt. Granderson along with any wounded they might have after the fight.

Thornwald continued speaking with the Captain as they were on their way to the Lab. "Yes, Tex told me all about your development of the vaccine. It could certainly be valuable to us. You don't know how close he came to being shot when we first discovered him with his weaponry, though he wasn't in uniform. They brought him to me first and He was very helpful, once he heard what had happened to you and your men when you went after your family.

He also heard the Intel come in about what was happening on the ship and to Dr. Scott and Lt. Granderson. Dr. Scott evidently told the old lady just what she thought of her and it did not go over well, since her own daughter told her mother that the Captain would never let her have what was on the ship, when he found out what she was doing to people. Granderson's daughter was taken to the basement right along with Dr. Scott.

It is amazing that she would do that to her own daughter. The old lady is really crazy. We need to take her out."

The Captain said quickly, "What does she do to people who are taken to the basement?"

Thornwald took a deep breath before he continued. "They are interrogated, often tortured, Captain."

The Captain had turned white." Oh my God, Rachel. Thornwald, I have to get there, now. How far are we from the lab? I thought they would be taken to cells and she would be questioning them."

Thornwald looked down, Dr. Scott really insulted Granderson. She called her a monster, which she is. She told Dr. Scott. "I will show you what a monster I am."

He added," I don't think she will kill them, but they may not be in the best shape when you get to them."

Granderson looked at the white pallor of the Captain. He said, "Are you alright Captain?

Captain Chandler looked down. He said I just lost my wife to the virus, today and I don't need Dr. Scott, the most valuable Scientist in the world hurt by that maniac. Please tell your people to hurry."

It was no more than 10 minutes later that they pulled up to an area away from the large complex that was their target. to the Captain Chandler, it seemed like an hour. Thornwald was met by a number of his men. They all took a different route which got them to the side of the building. They used a communication devise and a side door was opened by one of the Thornwald's inside men. All of the men with them came into the building from that door. It was probably an emergency exit which was kept locked. The Captain looked up and saw a camera above their heads. Something had been put over it so that there was nothing that could be seen by anyone looking at a monitor.

Thornwald ordered 3/4th of the party to go to the upper levels, where the labs, and Granderson's quarters were. He ordered several of his men to accompany the Captain, Tex and Burke to the basement area. Their intel was quite good and one of Thornwald's inside people met them at the stairwell and led them down a hallway.

Suddenly, a woman's scream was heard. It was a scream of agony and it ripped the Captain's heart asunder. The Captain and the other men burst into the room where the scream had come from and a terrible scene met their horrified eyes.

Both Dr. Scott and Lt. Granderson had their wrists bound above their heads and were suspended by leather straps from the ceiling pipes. Their feet were barely touching the floor. They had both been stripped and water had been thrown over them. There was a drain for the water to flow out almost where their feet would touch. There were two men in the room and one was poised to use an electrode on Rachel, when The Captain shot him through the head. Tex took the other man out just as fast. Another one of the men with them disconnected the electrode before anyone could be electrocuted by it.

The Captain ran right to Dr. Scott and he picked her up around the waist and held her close to him, shielding her from the view of the other men in the room and taking the pressure off of her wrists, which were no longer supporting her weight. He screamed the order to Thornwald's men." Cut them down!"

The fury in his voice was quite evident. There was no doubt that he was in charge of this part of the mission. He tucked his gun into his pants and unzipped his leather jacket, getting it off one shoulder. He then shifted Rachel to his other arm, and his jacket dropped to the floor. He shifted Rachel enough to unbutton his BDU jacket. Tex, who came up next to him, pulled the Captain's uniform jacket off of him. By this time, Thornwald's man had cut her down from the restraints that were holding her wrists. The Captain and Tex immediately got Rachel into the Captain's uniform jacket. It was so large on her small body that it covered her down to the middle of her thighs. Tex went to help Burke with Alisha.

The Captain looked at Rachel and she was almost unconscious. Now that he had his other hand free, he picked her up supporting her under her knees as well, He held her close, her head rested on his chest. He spoke to her softly, "Rachel, It's Tom, I've got you, now. You are going to be alright. Rachel, can you hear me? I'm right here."

Her eyelids started to flutter and she said, " Captain, I didn't tell them anything. I knew you would come. Don't let go of me, Tom, please. She was almost whimpering with reaction to the pain she had suffered. She lifted her arms around his neck, holding on to him as if she were a child. He could feel the weight of her head as it rested against his shoulder. He could feel her small body quivering with shock.

He looked over at Burke and saw that he had done the same thing with Lt. Granderson. She was wearing Burke's uniform jacket. The Captain spotted what looked like a pile of what was left of their clothes and shoes and he told one of Thornwald's men to pick them up. Tex picked up the Captain's leather jacket on the floor and they left the room.

The Captain was holding himself together. He was so angry and worried about Rachel.

The thought of what they had done to her was bad enough. He had seen some of the burns on her body. She must be in so much pain. He was almost in shock. He was holding her so tight He could finally feel her body stop quivering and to relax as he held her and she got warmth and strength from his body.

They followed Thornwald's men out of the building. He could hear firing from the upper floors along with some screams. Thornwald's men were coming out of the building, some with wounds of their own. The wounded would go back to the safe house with the two women. Thornwald looked at Rachel in the Captain's arms and also at Lt. Granderson. He said. It looks like she made good on her promise. How are they Captain? He looked into the Captain's face and saw true concern and anger in his flashing blue eye's. Captain, you need to come with me and my men to the dock. We have to take care of getting your people back on the ship. There is no time to lose. We have destroyed her lab and Granderson is dead. I got out all of the lab equipment for you to take back to your ship and there is a CDC bag. I hope that is what you need."

"Thank you, Thornwald." He was still holding on to Rachel. He did not want to let her go.

Tex came up to him. Their eyes met. "Captain, I'll take her, now."

The two men locked eyes and there was a certain understanding that passed between them. Tex said gently, "Captain, let me take her, You have to go to your ship, now."

The Captain knew he had to let her go. The Captain gave him a look that Tex knew he would never forget." Guard her with your life, Tex!"

Tex nodded, pledging, "With my life, Captain!"

Tom started to pass her as gently as possible to Tex.

Tex said, "Rachel, I've got you….. Now, let go of his neck. ...…Rachel….. he has to go back to the ship…. They are under attack, Rachel…...You must let go of his neck…... that's it. I won't let anything happen to you, I will take you to a safe place and I will stay there with you until he comes back. I promise you, Rachel. He will come back for you."

After Rachel let go of his neck, the Captain passed her to Tex. It was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do. He had not had a chance to carry Darien to safety, today. He just did not want to let go of Rachel also. It was almost like letting go of your life jacket, when you knew you were drowning.

Little did he know that Rachel was feeling something quite similar. She had felt so safe in his arms. She was wearing his uniform Jacket and she could smell his clean masculine scent as it covered her naked body. She was so shaken and in shock and the burns on her body were painful. Just being in his arms made such a difference. She knew nothing could hurt her now. She had not wanted to be passed to Tex, but she knew the Captain, had to save the ship now. She knew that Tex would not lie to her. Tom would come back for her and he would take her back to the ship.

Thornwald was watching this and the Captains face. He said, realizing how much this woman really meant to him. She will be Ok, once she gets to the safe house. There is a doctor there and he will take good care of her and Lt. Granderson. Burke had passed Lt. Granderson to one of Thornwall's men. The Captain turned to Lt. Granderson. He touched her shoulder lightly as he gave her a reassuring smile "You are both to be commended Alisha. I am so proud of you."

Alisha, who was quite shaken up herself after also being tortured, gave him a small smile. His approval meant so much to her. He and the Nathan James were her only family now. "Thank you Captain, for coming for us."

The Captain looked at her directly, his blue eyes gentle and kind. "There is no way I would ever leave two of my greatest assets in this place. You were very brave and you will be back on the ship as soon as we can secure it."

Alisha said, "Go Captain. Don't worry about us. Dr. Scott and I will be fine, once we get these burns taken care of. We will both be waiting for your return."

The Captain looked one last time at Rachel, now resting in Tex's arms, her head on his chest. Her eyes were looking directly at him as the Captain stepped closer to her. He said, "Rachel, the place you are going is a safe house. My family is there. They are recovering from the virus,"

Her eyes filled with tears of joy. Oh Tom, I am so happy they are all safe. You must be so happy." She looked at him and saw the pain and tears in his eyes as he said." I was too late to save her, Rachel. I was too late."

He could feel himself start to lose control and he knew he had to snap out of it. He said, "I have to go now. I will be back for you and my family soon. He turned away from her and joined Thornwald and the other men. Thornwald led the Captain and Burke back to the vehicle they had come in. All of the men who had taken the lab were now in route with them to the Nathan James.


	14. Chapter 14 The Safe House Part 2

Part 2 ( The Safe House)

If you have not read Part 1, be sure to read it before you read this. Again, I updated fairly soon after the last chapter. Some may have missed it.

Chapter 14

When the grey van pulled into the garage at Thorwald's safe house, there were men and women who helped get the wounded from the raid of Granderson's Lab into the large elevator and down to the sub-basement. Tex stayed with Rachel and Lt. Granderson while they were put on stretchers and taken into a large area, where they were evaluated, along with about 3 other men, who had been wounded in the attack on the Amy Granderson's Compound. The men had been shot, so they were more critical than Rachel or Alisha.

The Chandler family was in a special area, which was separated from all the other facility, because, even though, after having the injection of the cure, they were probably not contagious, they were still recovering from the virus, They were all starting to feel much better , but their clothes would have been contaminated, which is why they were taken out and burned. The people who were attending them wore Hazmat protection, just in case.

The team had known that the Captain's family would be brought here and they had brought over some clothes for them, from the Good Will stash they had collected at their main facility in the city. This was for people who Thorwald's men found, who were not infected, who they could keep in their safe zone. Those people were not kept here. This was strictly for short term stays and medical attention .

They had not even had any extra clothing for Rachel and Lt. Granderson. They knew they were coming, but did not know that anything had happened to their clothing. This was not a real trauma center or hospital or anything like it. It was all make do with what ever supplies they could pick up from real medical facilities which had been abandoned. They had taken as many drugs and instruments, gloves and paper exam gowns as they could get, but these would just last as long as they had them. They were very afraid of when everything ran out and they no longer had the medical supplies they would need.

After Rachel and Alisha were examined by the medical team and their burns treated, they were given what was left of their clothing which had been picked up as they had left the basement. Their clothes had been cut off of them at the Lab, with a knife for effect in order to frighten and humiliate them. Alisha and Rachel were left with nothing they could actually wear, except for their shoes. After they were treated ,they put on the uniform jackets back on, that the Captain and Lt. Burke had given them at the lab. Alisha's BDUs were in shreds, completely useless. Fortunately, their burns were not bad. The torture had mainly been from the pain of having the electricity applied at different intensities in various areas of their bodies. The burns were residual around those areas affected, but not severe. They were suffering the aftereffects of the shock of psychological and physical trauma to their bodies and minds.

This safe house was more like a headquarters away from the main headquarters for Thorwald's people, which was in the city. They actually had a place in this underground facility where they could do surgery on the men who had been shot and the medical people they had, fortunately could handle their injuries. It would not have worked for something like heart surgery, but it was not a bad trauma center. No one who had come back with them in the van, died. Rachel wanted to go to the Captain's family so she could check them out. She would be able to tell at what stage they were with their recovery. She let the doctor know who she was and how she could be of help with the family. She was also immune to the virus.

He was a little concerned about her going in there because when she came out she would have to go thru the decontamination process and he did not want her to have to go thru the pain of the showers and the chemicals they used to decontaminate people. He had just treated her burns and they did not need to be aggravated by the decontamination process if it would not be needed shortly. He suggested that she wait until the family was cleared of the virus, so she would be able to see them with out having to go through the other process. She had to wait. She did not think it would be much longer. The doctor wanted both Rachel and Alisha to rest. They had been through a very traumatic experience. Torture was not something you got over that fast. The doctor knew that what these women had been through really had not hit them yet. Rachel did not want to be a baby about it and certainly Alisha, being an officer, didn't.

What they didn't realize was that many men would have broken going through what they had, even though, fortunately, those men, who had been in charge of torturing them in the basement, had not had them too long, before the Captain was there to rescue them.

Tex looked at Rachel, who was now strong enough to stand up on her own, though she was still a little shaky and had to hold on to something. She was standing there in the Captain's uniform jacket, with "CHANDLER" emblazoned across her chest and the insignias of his rank showing clearly on his collar. Tex was realizing that it was always the Captain that Rachel clearly needed. He seemed to be the only one who could calm her, challenge her, make her angry, make her laugh or who could rescue her. It was such a strange thing to witness with the two of them. Tex remembered, as he, himself was holding Rachel against his chest, as the Captain had turned to her, before he left for the ship. The Captain had told Rachel that his family was at the safe house, where she would be taken. Tex had seen Rachel cry, in happiness, when she knew the Captain had found his family. The Captain had almost been in tears himself, when he had to tell her that he had been too late to save his wife. Rachel was so sad about that. Tex had felt her give a sob against his chest, when the Captain had said this to her. The Captain had to turn away to regain control of himself.

Even though Tex had wondered, after the Vyerni, if there was something between the the Captain and Rachel, it was clear that the Captain was really devastated that he had lost his wife, today and so was Rachel. That being the case, they could not have had anything going on, at least not physically. It was clear that Rachel had wanted the Captain to find his family, all of them.

One thing was sure, however, the Captain felt absolutely responsible for Rachel's safety and it was also clear they had a bond that went beyond friendship. Tex knew that both the Captain and Rachel trusted him and considered him to be a close friend, but he knew today, that Rachel never had an interest in him as a man. Tex knew that even though Rachel had not wanted him to leave, after he kissed her before walking out of the Lab, earlier today, she had not stopped him.

Now after what he had seen today, he realized that she had not wanted him to leave, because she really valued his friendship and his loyalty to her and to the Captain. It had been wishful thinking on his part to think she ever held romantic feelings for him. Still, he knew that when the Captain had asked him to guard Rachel with his life, he had pledged to do just that and he had meant it. Tex knew he loved Rachel, even though he realized today, that she could never love him, not in that way, but only as one loves a dear friend. That shook him a bit, but he had suspected it for a while now.

He also knew now that the Captain had spoken the truth to him, when they were in the ocean, before they were captured by the Russians, when he said that he was only afraid of dying without seeing his wife and children again. He had not lied to him about that and he had not played him, while having a thing with Rachel. Had the Captain, been able to save his wife, today, he would never have even considered leaving her for Rachel. That he knew for a fact, after seeing the Captain's pain.

He knew something had happened when Rachel had kissed the Captain, when passing the note on the Vyerni. There had been something there, maybe because they had never had physical contact before, when they clearly felt something for each other, but betrayal of him, was never in the Captain's mind. The Captain was as startled by Rachel's action as he was. Granted something had happened at the time of the kiss, to both Rachel and the Captain, but it did not involve betrayal of him or Darien.

Both Rachel and the Captain were honorable people and he was proud to be close friends with both. He now knew where he stood with her and he would have to deal with it . He wanted a woman who would love him and he would find her someday. Rachel had reawakened something in him that had left him open to love again and for that he was grateful. For now, he would gladly guard her with his life and he would continue to do so as long as he was with the Nathan James. He would also guard the Captain's family with his life.

Now that he looked at Rachel standing there in the Captain's jacket, whether the two of them realized it or not, it was clear that Rachel belonged with the Captain, if not now, some time in the future. He could not deny it to himself any longer. Neither of them seemed to realize it, at least not, today. That was not surprising under the circumstances.

The doctor had made sure that Rachel and Alisha each were on their assigned beds and they were trying to sleep. Tex sat on a chair waiting for word from the ship. Rachel was sound asleep and she really needed it, so he did not disturb her

He had just drifted off to sleep himself, when he heard a commotion. The elevator was in motion again and the door opened and Master Chief Jeter was brought into the trauma area on a stretcher. Danny was with him, along with one of Thorwald's men. The medical team was with him almost instantly. They must have been waiting for him. Tex had heard that the Master Chief was wounded from some of the intel the Thorwald's people had on the firefight, when the Captain was trying to get to Olympia to find his family.

Tex went up to Danny who was standing there waiting for word from the surgical team. Danny looked glad to see someone he knew here.

Danny told Tex exactly what had happened, from the time he left the Captain after the firefight in the street with Granderson's Police thugs. He had spent time looking around for something that might have been any kind of a medical supply, but to no avail. They worked their way to the docks, but he had to take side streets to stay off the main drag, since he did not want to run into any of Granderson's Police.

He had tried to get as close to the docks as he could, but that was really not close at all. It was just too dangerous. He had pulled up in an alley to try to stay out of sight and he needed to make sure that the Master Chief's arm was not too bad. He did not want him to bleed out. He made a pressure bandage to keep the bleeding in check. He needed a hospital, but he knew he could not go back to the lab after they had killed so many of Granderson's men. He told the Master Chief to wait for him and he went to scout the area a bit. He had his gun with him and he'd been given a leather jacket to wear to cover his uniformed look. He was grateful for the warmth as it was beginning to get late in the day. He was just turning into a corner when he was surrounded by a group of armed men. He was outnumbered and had to raise his arms. These men were not in uniform like Granderson's men. One of the men said, " Are you from the ship?"

Danny said, " Who are you?"

The other man said, " I asked you a question. I can see you are wearing a uniform under that State Trouper Jacket. We need to know if you are from the ship or are you one of Granderson's men. " They took his gun.

Another unzipped Danny's jacket. " He is the Navy Seal. You are from the ship. You have another man with you who was wounded. We have been trying to find you."

Danny was mystified, "Who are you and how do you know I have someone with me who is wounded?"

The leader of the group said, " We have inside people at Granderson's headquarters and we heard all about the firefight you had with Granderson's men. We are here to help you. Our leader met up with one of your guys. He let us know that after the firefight, it was clear the Navy ship was not on Granderson's side. Your Captain and some of your men have helped us take over Granderson's lab and now we need to help you get control of your ship, which is being boarded by Granderson's men. Captain Chandler said to watch out for you and your Master Chief, because he was wounded. We have a safe house with doctors who can help him."

Danny said, " Is there a way I could speak to my Captain to verify what you are saying?"

The man got on his communications devise. He said that this was a secure line. Soon Danny was able to speak with Captain Chandler. The Captain said, "Is that you Danny?"

Danny said, " Yes, Sir."

The Captain asked, " Danny, how is the Master Chief?"

Danny said somewhat worried, " Sir, he needs medical attention and I haven't found any, until these men surrounded me and let me know there is some kind of a safe house. Sir, do you want me to go with them? It sounds like I am needed on the ship, but I am not sure how to get aboard yet. It looks like Granderson's men are everywhere."

Then Captain said," I am working on that with this group of men, under their leader ,Thorwald. His men helped me get my family to safety and to get Dr. Scott and Lt. Granderson out of the Lab. They are at the safe house with my family. I want you to take the Master Chief there for now. They have good medical help at the safe house.. Tex is there also, so the two of you can guard all of our people there, until I can get back to get you out. Dr. Scott and Lt. Granderson are also injured. My family is recovering from the virus, so I do need you to go there and help Tex guard everyone."

Danny said, "Yes, sir."

Danny brought this group of men back to the vehicle that they had come in and they took the Master Chief out of it helped him to walk with them. They told Danny that the car they were in had a tracking devise in it and they were amazed that he hadn't been picked up yet. Granderson's men must have been too busy with the plans to take over the ship. They took Danny and the Master Chief to another vehicle which was hidden inside an abandoned parking garage and they were on their way to the safe house."

Tex brought Danny up to date with what had happened to Dr. Scott and Lt. Granderson and with how Thorwald's men had taken over the Lab and how Amy Granderson had been killed. He let Danny know about the Captain's family and how his wife had not made it. Danny knew that the Captain must be suffering with his wife's loss.

They both sat down to await the word on the Master Chief.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Rachel was awaked by the shrill scream of a child. She jumped out of bed instinctively and for a minute was not aware of where she was. Her mind cleared as she looked around and realized she was in the safe house and the scream must have come from one of Captain Chandler's children. She steadied herself and made her way toward the sound. Tex joined her from where he had been waiting to find out about the Master Chief.

They could both hear a child crying . They walked down the hall to the area where the Chandler family was being kept. Tex could see Tom's father trying to comfort Ashley, the Captain's daughter, who was sobbing in his arms. " Grandpa, I want my mommy back. She should not be gone Grandpa. I thought I saw her."

Jed was saying to her, " Ashley, you just had a bad dream. Everything will be alright. You hear Grandpa? You can go back to sleep, now."

It was at this point that Rachel walked in with Tex. He said to Jed,

"Jed, is everything alright?"

Jed said, "Ashley had a nightmare. She will be alright, but she just had a scare."

Sam, her little brother came to stand by his sister. He placed his head on her arm and said, "Don't cry, Ashley. It will be alright. I'm here with you."

Rachel saw this brave this little boy, who was trying to tell his older sister that he was there for her, so everything would be alright. She immediately saw the Captain reflected in the face and the actions of his young son. It made her heart go out to him. This sweet brave little boy was so much a combination of the Captain and his Darien. Rachel had to physically control her desire to run to him and hold his small body to her chest. It was so clear he was missing his mommy, but was trying so hard to be brave for his sister. How much he was already like Tom.

Tex fortunately took control of her attention so she could break the very emotional feelings she was having for the Captain's family right now.

Tex said. "Jed, This is Dr. Scott. She is the doctor who found the cure for the virus. She was injured earlier or she would have been with you sooner. Jed looked at Rachel, who, he noticed immediately, was wearing his son, Tom's uniform jacket, with very little else. He blinked.

Rachel said " Mr. Chandler, I am so sorry I was not able to be with you from the start. You have had the vaccine and by now, you are, I am sure, not contagious anymore. This must be Ashley and Sam."

Dr. Scott went right to Ashley, taking her into her arms. Ashley, I am Dr. Scott, I am here to take care of you . You all are going to be fine now."

Ashley was looking at the jacket that Dr. Scott was wearing in horror. She cried, " You have my Daddy's uniform jacket, Has something happened to him? Oh no, Is he alright?, Where is my daddy? He said he would come for us." She was crying again.

Rachel said, "Oh no, Ashley, sweetheart, don't worry. Your daddy is fine. He is trying to get things set for you on his ship. He will be here before too long. Would you like me to tell you how Tex here and your Daddy rescued me and another officer from where we were being held by some bad people. Would you like me to tell you and Sam about how that happened?"

Ashley said, " Yes, Dr. Scott. Tell us what daddy did?."

Rachel sat on Ashley's bed. She told Sam, to climb up on Ashley's bed so he could hear it also. Sam sat next to Rachel and she put her arm around him, holding him close to her body. "Today, earlier, some really bad people were holding me and Alisha prisoner at the Lab. Alisha is another officer from your father's ship. The bad people had taken our clothing, so we had nothing to wear. Your daddy, Tex here and some other men broke into the Lab, the place where we were being held. Your daddy saw that I didn't have clothes to wear and he gave me his uniform jacket until he can bring clothes from the ship. One of the other officers that was with him gave Alisha his uniform jacket so she would have something to wear. Your daddy and Tex were heroes and we were so grateful that they had come for us. We were hurt, so your daddy sent us here to be with you. He had Tex brought us here to take care of you. I bet you are feeling much better today, aren't you?"

Ashley said. " Oh Dr. Scott, we feel so much better and all of our blisters are gone. We just want our daddy to come back and we miss our mommy. I had a bad dream about her."

Dr. Scott hugged her and Sam and she said 'You are all safe now and you will soon be on your daddy's ship, Now, you will be with him from now on. Even though you are feeling much better, you still need to rest for a while, You will get stronger and stronger and soon you will be completely well, I promise."

Sam said, " You smell like my daddy, Dr. Scott." He had his head against her stomach.

She laughed. " Sammy, you just smell your daddy's uniform jacket. You will have him back soon."

Jed took Tex aside and asked about how the attack on the lab had gone down. Tex let him know. He had surmised that Jed was a military man, so he did not hold back the details. Jed was amazed that Dr. Scott was here with them, now, when she probably should be resting as well. Seeing her in just his son's jacket with nothing on her legs, he knew there was some story behind it. He could not believe the courage of this woman, with all she had been through, was here comforting his grandchildren and reassuring them that their daddy would be back soon. Even in her present state, he could see that she was a beautiful woman and evidently a very strong woman, even as tiny as she was.

After she got them squared away, she turned to him. " Mr. Chandler, you should be feeling much better, but you need to keep the children as quiet as possible for a little longer. How are you feeling?"

Jed looked at her, seeing her sincerity, " I'll be fine, thanks to you. I don't think we had much longer to live, when Tom got to us. I am getting my strength back. How is my son, Dr. Scott? "

Rachel's eyes softened. "The last I saw him, he was as usual, doing what needs to be done. He had literally carried me out of the Lab. I was injured and could not even walk. He wanted to come back to you right away, but he had to go to the ship, which was under attack. He was very upset about loosing Darien. I think he blames himself for being too late to save her. I can tell you that had he changed anything he did to come here earlier, we would not have the cure. Hopefully, he will one day see that. It was not his fault, Mr. Chandler, believe me. He did everything he could have to be here as soon as he could."

Jed lowered his head. " I know that, Dr. Scott. I know how much he loved Darien. He was devastated when I told him she was gone."

He could see, how Dr. Scott's eyes were filled with tears, as she imagined how hurt Tom was, when Jed had told him. She said. "I was so hoping he would get all of you back. I am so glad to meet you and the children. Please know I am just down the hall and I will be checking in on you all soon. If you need anything, send one of the attendants for me. I will tell them you are not contagious. I don't think you were when you actually arrived here, but your clothes would have been contaminated."

She went back to her bed, after being quite drained from her experience with Tom's Family. She knew she herself needed to rest a bit more. Alisha was still resting.

The Master Chief was out of surgery and he was going to be fine. Danny and Tex were all very relieved as was Alisha when she found out. The Master Chief was not yet awake from his surgery. Rachel was thinking that these people had helped so many of the people from the ship and Tom's family. They had been so helpful, though she had almost been afraid that these people might tend to be not what they seemed, like Amy Granderson's men and women had been. She was a bit worried about Tom, because he had so much on his mind, but he always managed to get whatever needed to be done, completed. She sat down on her bed and lay back on the pillow to think but was out as soon as her head hit the pillow.

( Please give me some reviews to let me know if you like the way this fiction is going I really had never thought I would even attempt to deal with this whole cliff hanger. I just suddenly had some strategic ideas of how it might work out. This is all AU (Alternative Universe), because I am sure the writers for the show have already figured out how this will happen and it has probably already been filmed. Still I would love hearing what you think of how this is working out. write.) Part 3 will be about getting the Captain and Crew back in control of the Nathan James. I think you might be surprised by how this one works out.)


	15. Chapter 15 Back to the Nathan James Part

Disclaimer: I do not own TLS or have any affiliation with TNT. I have no knowledge of how the second season will be accomplished. The following is my version of what might happen. You can call it AU (alternative Universe). Hope you like it.

Chapter 15 Back to the Nathan James Part 3

This takes us to the morning that the Nathan James had docked in Baltimore Harbor.

Right after the landing parties, including the Captain, Rachel, Tex, the Master Chief, Green and Burk and of course Alisha Granderson had left in the landing crafts and had been driven off from the docks to Amy Granderson's Headquarters, the remaining State Police Detail were invited to go out to the Nathan James for a friendly visit, as guests of Commander Slattery. The detail was lead by Amy Granderson's first in command, the Captain of her State Police, who was acting as the head of the government forces at this point, or so it seemed.

The State Police captain seemed like an incredibly likable fellow and Commander Slattery was delighted to show him around the Nathan James. He also got a tour of the lab, where Quincy showed him around and even gave him his virus inoculation.

Mike had given Bacon instructions to keep their guests supplied with mugs of coffee, because his men were stationed as guards around the deck of the ship to be aware of any potential problems with an Overlord, called Thorwald. Mike wanted to make sure these men who had to guard the area had plenty of coffee and some of Bacon's "homemade" donuts.

Bacon therefore had a lot of interaction with these guards throughout the earlier part of the day. Bacon himself was overseeing the Wardroom and also prepared a nice lunch for their guests. He had one of his sailors carry the tray of coffee and donuts to the guards as well as to the Commander and any of their own officers who were around their guests. Bacon accompanied this sailor to judge how much more he might need. After a while, the State Police guards became accustomed to Bacon and the sailor being around.

Commander Slattery and the other officers were going out of their way to show their guests how proud they were of the Nathan James. It was very good to see new people around and thinking that they may have found a home base where the crew could search for their families. The crew was very excited.

Bacon, as Captain Chandler and a few others knew, was a master chess player and had always excelled as a champion in chess matches in various parts of the country, when all things had been normal. His mind worked strategically. He could not help it. He was aware of the placement of just about everything on the ship. He always could think 10 steps ahead of whatever move anyone could make and no one on the ship saw things in exactly the same way as he did.

During the day, Bacon had gradually become aware that something was amiss regarding the State Police detail that had been left on the Nathan James. He had noticed certain things that made him a little bit suspicious of these new visitors. They seemed friendly, but they never relaxed their holds on their AK47's. The Captain was seemingly very friendly, but bacon noticed how he was marking, with his eyes, everything around him. Maybe it was just his police training, but even when Mike was looking away, Bacon noticed the Captain was counting the personnel and their location. He would ask questions about their armaments in very clever ways.

Bacon noticed that he would give his guards a slight nod of the head when he wanted them to be aware of certain things. These guards would be looking all around, always on the alert, not so much for danger, but to be noticing all areas and locations of doors passageways etc., on the ship. Bacon became aware that they were actually 'casing the joint', so to speak. They were casing the Nathan James. That became very clear to Bacon. He started noticing a pattern in of the way the guards were placing themselves. They were there to guard against invaders, but all their attention was on the ship, the deck and the ship personnel. He said to himself, "This does not look good and I don't think the XO notices a thing."

Several hours after lunch, Bacon again noticed the police captain nodding and making certain types of eye contact with his men, as he walked around the deck. The men straightened up and were at attention to where they were to go, separating to both sides of the ship's deck, at a precise distance between each other. He measured the firepower of their guns and could see immediately that they had some plan. It looked like they wanted control of the whole deck, and their plan was starting to get serious and very obviously they were up to no good. Bacon needed to speak to the XO, alone, but there was no way to do it.

He finally left and started to think about what he could do if they tried something. He went back to the Galley and ordered more hot coffee with a different type of pastry. He and the sailor went out on deck again.. As he left that area, he noticed one of the guards had stationing himself outside of the entrance to the bridge. Whatever they were planning seemed to be immanent, because the XO was on the bridge with the captain of Police, proudly showing him the bridge.

Many years ago, when he had just joined the Navy, Bacon had seen the movie, "Under Siege" with Steven Seagal. He loved that movie because it was about a Cook, who was a former Navy SEAL, who had saved his ship after it was boarded by terrorists. This cook had single handedly saved his ship by using his martial arts and special forces training.. This movie was one of the favorites of the crew and was in the ships library of movies that could be viewed. He knew for a fact that it was one of Captain Chandler's favorites as well. The unique thing about the plot of that movie was that the terrorists never saw the counter attack coming, not from the ship's cook.

From that point, long ago, Bacon, on his own time, whenever he was stationed on land duty at a base or when he was on leave, would continue his martial arts training. He swore to himself, that no ship he was ever assigned to would be boarded or taken over by an alien group, not if he had anything to say about it. He studied some very unusual types of martial arts and he studied under a Grand Master of Dim Mak, a type of medical martial arts, which was also used at times for combat martial arts. It had to do with pressure points on the body. When he was alone, he would practice his martial arts in the ships gym and other areas, never doing it when anyone else was around. Much of it was mental training. Because of his mind working many steps ahead of his actions measuring each possible response or variation, so he always had a counter move, should he need it.. What he loved about Dim Mak was that some very small moves could be devastating and also extremely quiet. He also was fascinated with the healing moves, which involved using pressure points on the body.

He had somehow always believed that there would come a time when this training would prove to be very valuable to his Captain and crew.

First of all, he did not know for sure what they were planning, but he had already figured out at least 10 scenarios of where they could be taking this thing. All of them started with that captain of the State Police taking over the XO on the bridge. He only prayed that the captain of the Police would not kill the XO. His logic told him that the XO was probably safe at least for the start of what they were planning.

He knew he could use his basic plan of action, no matter which tactic they would try, but he would need some specific help. He was able to contact all of the officers that Danny and Burk had been training in Navy Seal tactics. He talked to each separately about what he'd observed. His points were very convincing and he was confident about what actions needed to be taken. The officers could see, after it was pointed out to them, that everything Bacon had said was taking place. He let them know he had a particular martial arts move which would paralyze and knock out each of the guards, while arming each of the officers with the AK 47 that the guard had been holding. The guards would not die or be permanently paralyzed, but they would be unconsicous for a number of hours, or until Bacon performed the antidote for his initial move. If Bacon did not perform the antidote, all of the guards would die.

By the time Bacon finished his explanation and they saw the look in his eyes, all of the officers were ready to follow him, if anything happened that looked like their guests were going to try something. He knew that many of these officers were very young and new to the Navy Seal training, but he was pretty sure they would do what he needed them to do and his normally jovial face was dead serious. They started to pay attention to what he was telling them and they told him they would be waiting at the appointed place for his signal if anything happened. Bacon told them they were not to try to get their guns or any other weapon, or they would be a target. He said he would make sure they had what they needed when the time came. Now that they were alerted, they, too, started to notice the placement of the guards. They began to realize this was not to be taken lightly.

Bacon told him that he would have to use the coffee ploy to move around the deck, so to be watching for him. He would nod to them when he was sure of which plan they would be using. He was sure he had the attention of all the men he had contacted and that they would be where he needed them to be. He had worked out in his head how it would work if all worked like clockwork, but he also knew that something could happen and someone might not be where he needed and he would have to use secondary people. He alerted a few others as back up in case anyone was taken out or was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It would be time for dinner soon, but he had told his cooks not to start anything cooking now.

He looked up at the Bridge and thought he heard a gunshot. There was no one else around him, except his sailor with the coffee. On the deck and he quickly was walking along with his coffee tray, as if nothing unusual was happening. He knew the guard outside the door to the Bridge would be looking down to see if he had heard the shot. As he was about to round the corner, he and the sailor heard a secondary shot. Now he was really worried. He was wondering who was shot. He went down to medical to see if he could find Dr. Rios. He found him and filled him in on what he had expected. He let him know that there was probably one to two people shot on the bridge. Bacon told the doc to come with him and he would show him a place to hide close to the bridge so he could help whoever was hurt, but he could not do it until the time was right.

Suddenly, the XO voice could be heard over the com system." This is your XO speaking . All crew members are to report to the main deck, immediately. Repeat. all crew members and officers are to report to the main deck immediately! You will wait there for further instructions!"

The XO's voice had sounded strained and tight, nothing like his usually lilting tones. Bacon knew this was it.

Bacon moved to the area he was to meet the officers who were now mingling with the other crew members heading for the main deck. He gave the officers the nod an told them to wait for him. He quickly got to the other side of the ship from inside P-ways. When he reached the officers in the same spot on the opposite side of the ship, he quickly laid out his plan. They would start taking out one guard at a time from the back to the front. He took two officers walking behind him mingling with other crew members. He had his sailor with the tray of coffee mugs in front of him.

They approached the first guard and offered him coffee. Before he could stop and tell them to keep moving, Bacon had touched him, using two fingers, placed at precisely the right spots and with precisely the right pressure, on the back of his neck. It would later be described as the "Spock" move", because it looked exactly like the move "Spock" had used in "Star Trek" to completely imobilize the person it was used on. One of the officers caught the guard and the other took his gun as he collapsed. One officer stayed at that location, with his AK47 down so it would not be so noticible. Before dragging him off to the storage area, they removed the guard's leather uniform jacket and the Nathan James officer left in his place, put it on. Now they would look the part, if either of the forward guards looked back. The other officer dragged the guard to the storage compartment Bacon had opened for them. This officer got the help of another crew member.

As they were dragging the first guard away, another two officers had moved up to where Bacon was taking out the next guard. This was done as smooth as clockwork. All officers made eye contact with bewildered crew members who knew something was going on. They put their fingers to their lips and everyone passed it on who was anywhere near the area of action. Many actively covered with their bodies the action of what was taking place.

The 3rd guard was not hard because the other crew members were hiding the two officers and even Bacon and the sailor when they were fairly close to him. Bacon got behind him and made his move, before he was even asked about the coffee. The 3rd guard was dispatched and was dragged off, after this was accomplished.

Bacon and the sailor with the tray went to the opposite side of the ship to the officers who were waiting. He let them know the other side of the ship was secure. Bacon and the officers proceeded to take out all 3 guards on this side of the ship in short order and the other crew members carefully helped get them into the storage closets. By the time this was done, the whole desk was now back in the hands of the Nathan James Crew. Bacon had let the officers know that everyone had to stay on the desk as they were ordered until they could take back the bridge. Bacon had told the officers with keys to the gun stores, to open them and be sure all officers and crew who would usually be wearing them should be armed and ready.

With a couple of officers, who were now armed and waiting for the opening, Bacon made his way to the Bridge. He had to make sure that the guard outside the Bridge could open the door for them, since they would never make it in with out that. He and his sailor with the coffee approached the Bridge. Bacon said," Good evening sir, The XO said that your captain required some coffee, so I have brought enough for all of them and for you, if you'd like some."

The man seemed a little surprised, but he opened the door to the bridge and Bacon and the sailor walked right in as his officer said. "Here is the coffee you ordered sir."

Before the Captain of Police could tell him that he had not ordered any coffee, Bacon had moved like lightning and had dropped the captain in his tracks. The other policeman was grabbed from behind by the waiting officers, who had hand guns in his ribs. He wasn't going anywhere.

Doc Rios was right behind them and was quickly running to Quincy who was on the floor writhing in pain from being shot in the belly. Bacon quickly did another Dim Mak move which took the pain away from Quincy. He could not do anything about the damage, but he fixed it so that the area which was so painful was not hurting anymore. That was as much as he could do. Dim Mak was also known to be used when someone was in pain, by stopping the pain signals going to the brain.

The XO was standing there with his mouth wide open. He did not know what to think about what he had just witnessed. He thought of Spock right away when he witnessed what Bacon had done to the Captian of Police. One of the officers who was standing there with hand guns ready said." The ship is back in our hands Sir, thanks to whole crew is mustered on the main deck as you asked but everyone who has been trained how to use guns is armed and ready. They are waiting on deck because they wanted it to look like we were doing what they wanted. Sir, Bacon had figured out what they were planning, ahead of time and had us all ready to follow his orders when the bridge was taken and you ordered everyone on deck. Sir, it looks like they have the two landing crafts ready to launch from shore. They were probably waiting for that Police Captain's order."

Mike yelled, "That murdering Son of a Bitch killed one of my officers and I don't know how Quincy will survive. I have to try to raise the Captain, now."

He got on the secure communications devise and said, "This is the Nathan James. Captain Chandler, if you can hear me, please acknowledge. Captain Chandler, this is Commander Slattery, Do you read me, Sir ?".

There was static for a minute and he heard Captain Chandler's voice, "This is your Captain, XO. What is your status?. Have you been boarded by Granderson's police? It is our understanding they are planning an attack. I have reinforcements, but we have to get to the ship."

Mike responded, "Captain, we have regained control of the ship, though we do not think Grandersons police know that yet. "

The Captain said," Good work, Mike. All the intel we had said you had been taken over by Granderson's Captain of the State Police. My hat is off to you and our Crew! I am going to come to the port side of the ship, We have a small boat, so we cannot be seen by the Granderson's people. We are running without lights. Have the ladders down so we can climb abord. I have had a lot of help from someone I want you to meet. He helped us escape from Granderson's complex and we all made it out alive, just barely. We have casulties, but no one died. I will tell you more, but it looks like we may have a real fight on our hands. I don't want to lose those landing crafts, but I don't want those Sons of Bitches on my ship. Start moving the crew slowly off the deck and into General Quarters status, but with out the announcement. We want to surprise them, if we can."

Mike said, "How close are you to being ready to come aboard, Captain?"

The Captain said, Mike, we are here. Lower the boarding ladders.!"

Mike had a big grin on his face, when he said ," Aye, Sir."

Captain Chandler was the first one on deck. The crew started to cheer, but the Captain, put his finger to his lips and said to pass it on. He told the closest ones to him, "Start to move off the deck and go into General Quarters status. Man your Battle Stations, but do it quietly. We have some reinforcements on board. Do not shoot them, They are here to help us fight off this force, attacking us."

Thorwald, was the second man on deck and the Captain took him right to the bridge as soon as Burk took charge of the others.

When the Captain walked onto the Bridge, He found a scene he could not believe. Someone yelled "Captain on the Bridge," Nearly all of the people that should have been on the bridge were not there. Quincy, lay bleeding and seriously injured on the floor and Dr. Rios was on the floor trying to treat him, as was Kara. Mike was on the other side of the room, unable to even walk to where the Captain was, for all of the bodies. Bacon was on the bridge and the Captain of the Granderson's State Police was on the floor, at his feet, completely out. There was another one of the crew dead on the floor in another part of the Bridge. The Captain just stood there with his mouth open. It looked like utter chaos, but Mike said they were in command of the ship now.

Finally, Mike stepped to the Captian, over all of the fallen and those who were helping them. Mike said, "We have to clear the bridge so we can get our officers in here to man the guns, if we need them."

The Captain said, "Good God, Mike. I thought you said you had command of the ship. "

The XO said, "We do, but we just got it back and it is a long story. We do not have time to go into it now."

The Captain looked at Bacon. He said, Bacon, What are you doing here? "

Before Bacon could answer, Mike said. Captain, Bacon just saved our ship and crew. I told you it is a long story. Bacon, can you get this Son of a Bitch and put him with the others you captured."

Bacon said, 'Aye Sir."

Bacon motioned to a couple of the young officers who had helped take out the guard outside the Bridge door and they obeyed him, without question, as if he was commanding the operation. They picked up the limp Captain of the State Police and carted him off to one of the storage rooms. Another couple of sailors were called to gently carry Quincy down to the lab, where Dr. Rios could work on him. Mike said that Quincy had been shot in the stomach and was in really dangerous condition and terrible pain, until Bacon has stopped his pain.

The Captain said " How did Bacon do that? Oh, I guess this is more of that long story you have to tell me, when this is all over, huh, Mike, I would also love to hear how my officers are falling all over themselves to follow Bacon's orders to clear that State Police Captain off my bridge."

Mike said, "Yes, Tom. You are not going to believe it. I think Mr. Spock has just joined the crew. I don't even know all of the story myself."

Some sailors were ordered up to carry the man who had been shot and killed initially to sick bay, Now the officers who manned the guns filed in and sat at their consoles and put all their radar and other scanning devised in an operational state. Some of those officers were the ones who had helped Bacon take back the ship. They all greeted Bacon with a deep respect in their eyes, as they filed past him. This was certainly not lost by the Captain, as he looked at all that was happening in amazement.

The Captain turned to Bacon. He looked him right in the eye and said. " Bacon, I may have to give you a battlefield commission, after I hear what you have done, here today. Stand down now. You have done an incredible job. I always knew you had it in you, but I had no idea you would show it in such a dramatic and important way. Be sure, you will be hearing from me, personally, after all this is done."

He placed his hand on Bacon's shoulder looking directly into his eyes and he said, "Thank you, Mr. Bernie Crowley. You have my profound gratitude and respect. I want you to know, that I have never been more proud to have served with anyone on this ship, than I am to have served with you."

Bacon looked back into his Captain's eyes, stood at attention and said. " It was my honor, Sir." He then left the bridge.

In pretty short order it was beginning to look like his Bridge again. The Captain then said,

"Commander Slattery, I would like you to meet Thorwald, the so called Warlorad, that Granderson was talking about. These are the good guys. I had wondered when Granderson said they had broken into the Library of Congress and had stolen the original copy of the Constitution. I was wondering why a Warlord would want that. Now it made since. This man and his people have helped get us back here to the ship and also have given my family a place to rest and recouperate from the virus. He also led a raid on Granderson's Lab and they helped me rescue Dr. Scott and Lt. Granderson. In addition to that, their men saved Danny and the Master Chief who has been wounded. We have a long story to tell you about, when ever we have time to compare stories of this day. Tex made the initial contact with Thornwald and explained what we were trying to do. Thornwald told him how Granderson had double crossed us and was planning to attack the ship. It is his men who will be attacking Granderson's men from the shore and we will be protecting our ship from the attack on this side, when it comes.

Thorwald said. " We did get intel that Granderson has gassed up your ship and your helocoopter. She was planning to move your ship farther North to where they have a FEMA Camp, where they were planning to imprisoned your crew. What was left of your crew would have been slaves who were running the ship"

The Captain said, "Once we get the ship squared away and this battle won, we have to get the rest of our people back from the safe house, where Thorwald and his medical people have helped take care of my family and Dr. Scott, Alisha and the Matster Chief. We could not have done this without his help and his intel people, within Granderson's complex. They were aware of the plan to take over the ship from the very first. That is how they were able to get me back with you, even after all that happened today.".

Dr. Rios came to the bridge and said, Captain, Quincy is really seriously injured. I do not have the surgical skills to be able to hand le what he needs to save. Him. I don't know what more I can do. Even Rachel, if she were here, is not a surgeon."

The Captain looked at Thorwald, "Do you, by any chance have a skilled surgeon, in your group who could handle complicated abdominal surgery? I know it is a big order."

Thorwald said, "We do have someone who was part of the Naval Surgical Core, formerly with Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in Laurel Maryland. He was doing top secret projects which were in combination with NASA and the NAVY. Technically he still is, but there is no military structure. We only use him for severe cases. I can see if we can get him here."

The Captain nodded, a strange look in his eyes. "I would really appreciate any efforts you could make to contact him. Did you say he was with Johns Hopkins APL? Is he with Naval Intelligence? Do you think he would come if we are in a battle?"

Thorwald said, " He is not afraid of working under fire, but he is too valuable for us to loose. In answer to your other question. Yes, He was with APL. I don't know if he was is in Naval Intelligence."

The Captain said, "With what we have to take them out, with our combined forces and the element of surprise, I think he will be relatively safe. He will not be directly in the line of fire. I would be abliged if you could at least ask him if he would consider coming to our aide. We may need him for more than Quincy."

Thorwald got onto his secure line and made a couple of calls. In a few minutes, there was a call back and Thorwald told the Captain, "Dr. Zackary Hayden is on his way ."

.


	16. Chapter 16 Captain to the Rescue

Chapter 16 Captain Chandler to the Rescue

The captain looked at his Bridge which was now back to normal, for being at General Quarters and the deck had been cleared as all personnel were manning their battle stations. Kara was looking thru the scope at the docks. She said," Captain, it seems that Granderson's men have pulled back. They are no longer manning the boats, ready to attack."

He looked up as Thorwald stepped onto the Bridge, after having been escorted by one of his officers to the port side of the ship so he could welcome Dr. Hayden aboard. He and the officer had escorted the Doctor to the sick bay in the Lab area, so that they could get started treating Quincy. Captain Chandler would, under normal circumstances have welcomed a guest like this himself, but with the attack being imminent, he was needed on the bridge, in case he had to direct his gunnery officers. It would be a little tricky so close to shore.

The Captain stepped toward Thorwald and asked about the doctor and if he had arrived safely.

Thorwald said, "Yes, Captain, we got Dr. Hayden on board and took him to the Lab area. He is with Dr. Rios and Quincy and his wife. I think they are preparing for immediate surgery. You can meet him later. Right now, we have another problem that must be addressed immediately. I have received reports that, now that their plan to take over the ship was completely thwarted by your crew and your ship is on full alert, with your people armed and ready to fight, they know they haven't got a chance of taking the ship, so they have changed tactics. They know that Amy Granderson is dead and their lab was taken out and stripped of all vital equipment, which I am happy to say is now being transferred to your ship's lab area.

That group that had been searching for you at Olympia Stadium, returned to the lab and they, unfortunately captured one of my intel people. After torturing him, they now know where we took Dr. Scott and your family. They have replaced Amy Granderson with a new leader and have pulled back their forces from the docks and are now planning to attack the safe house. They want Dr. Scott and your family. They want this ship and everything that is on it, especially Dr. Scott and her formulas and samples. They think if they have your family, you will give them what they want."

He continued, "You and I need to leave now, if we are going to get to the safe house ahead of them. Only a few key people in my organization know the way out of the safe house. Get your people together now. My intel says that Granderson's people have not left to start the attack yet. They are getting their people together and will go by armored vehicles and they may use a helicopter themselves. We must leave now. I will tell you the rest when we are in the air."

Mike had heard all that Thorwald had said. He said," I can take care of things here, Tom."

Captain Chandler said, "Mike, Get Burke and tell him to bring me 4 of our best Seal trainees. Have them meet me on the Helo deck with all the standard guns and dressed for battle, helmets and all. Hopefully they should already be in battle uniforms. Send someone to my quarters to get my gear and have them bring an extra set for Thorwald, including vests."

He continued, "Kara, go to your quarters and get me a pair of Lt. Granderson's BDU uniform pants. You are about Dr. Scott's size. Do you have an extra pair of BDU pants that she could use?"

Kara said," Sir?"

The Captain said, "They were both tortured at the Lab at Granderson's Complex today, God dam it! The Sons of Bitches took all their clothes. They are wearing only our BDU Uniform jackets, Burke's and mine. I don't have time to get something of Dr. Scott's from her quarters, since we do not know where she keeps anything. There will be no time for them to change, but they could put on the pants on the run. I don't want Dr. Scott and Alisha to return to the ship wearing nothing but our uniform jackets. Now, can you get the God damn pants, or not, Kara?"

Kara said, "Aye Sir! I will meet you in the Helo bay."

Mike had heard this and said, "My God, Tom. Are they OK?"

The Captain yelled angrily as he was heading for the door, "What do you think, Mike? Alert the Doctor, I will want him to check both of them out when we get back."

Mike had alerted the helicopter team to be on deck with the engines fired up and ready . The Captain and Thorwald headed to the Helo bay.

Thorwald continued, "Most of my people know nothing about the underground part of the safe house. Even the ones, who work there in the underground part, do not know how to get out of there, if they are attacked from above. If we cannot get them out by helicopter before Granderson's forces arrive, we will have to lead them out through the underground tunnels. Hopefully the helicopter will be waiting for us on the other end. If that is not possible, I will send for my ground forces to get us out from that point. I will be alerted when Granderson's forces are on the move."

The Captain said, "Can we alert our people at the safe house about what is coming? Tex and my top Navy Seal, Lt. Green are at the safe house. I don't want to bring them up until we are there and know we have enough time to get everyone into the helicopter."

Thorwald said," I can get word to them as to what is coming and to have everyone ready to evacuate. You and I will have to get in the elevator, unless the house is already under attack. You can bring one other man and I have two of mine who will be coming to carry your Master Chief, by stretcher, if we have to go the tunnel route. I also have security in that house in the area above who will have to make it appear that they are protecting your family and Dr. Scott and a few others in upper levels of the house. It will buy us a little time, because they want your family and Dr. Scott alive The people we have in the helicopter now will have to stay at the safe house to help my men fight off Granderson's men. It will be very dangerous. After we get your family and the others out of the tunnels, we will come back for the others defending the safe house. None of your men will know anything about the underground part of the safe house or the elevator. In case they are captured, they will not be able to tell where Dr. Scott and the others are. Hopefully we can get back here and your helicopter guns can take out the rest of her forces, before we have too much loss of life..

Within 5 minutes, all people assigned to the safe house mission were at the Helo Bay and they were airboune within another 5 minutes. The helicopter had been loaded with rocket launchers and missle defense bursts set to go off if someone tried to blast them out of the sky with an RPG or rocket launchers from another helicopter. Thorwald now looked like one of the Navy's men with his black attack gear on. He did not put on the helmet and neither did the Captain. Thorwald's men needed to recognize him and the Captain did not want to scare his children, when he saw them.

Thorwald was on his communicator and said. "The safe house has been alerted and so have our underground medical personnel. Tex and Danny are getting your people ready to move, we have the Master Chief on a stretcher.

Xxxxxx

Rachel was resting on her assigned bed, but unable to sleep. Tex and Danny came rushing to her and Alisha. Danny said," I don't want to frighten you, but we have been informed that we must be prepared to leave this place immediately. Get anything you have and be ready. The safe house above will soon be under attack by Granderson's men. The Captain, Burke and Thorwald are in a helicopter from the Nathan James, trying to get here before the attackers arrive. We need to be ready to board the helicopter as soon as it lands. I will go to the Captains family and have them ready."

Rachel said," Danny, I will tell the Chandler family and get them here. You need to get the Master Chief ready."

She rushed off to the area where the Chandler family was resting. She turned on all of the lights and Jed rushed to her. "What is it Dr. Scott?"

She said, something has happened and we need to be ready to leave this place immediately. Ashley and little Sam ran to her. She said to all of them. "Children, your Daddy is coming to take us back to the Nathan James, but we all need to be ready to leave right away. Did they give you any slippers? Go get them on. We will have to ride on a helicopter back to the ship and we won't have much time."

The children ran to get their slippers.

Rachel said "Jed, How strong do you feel? Are you strong enough to run, if necessary? I did not want to frighten the children, but the safe house will be under attack very soon. Tom is trying to get us all out before they get here. We will have to be ready to move very fast. I imagine the children will be carried out, but the Master Chief will have to be taken by stretcher."

Jed asked, "What if my son doesn't get here before the attack."

Dr. Scott said, "I don't know, Jed. I am sure they have alternate plans, knowing, the Captain."

The children were back and clinging to her and their grandfather. Rachel said, "Ok, come with me and stay close to me. Your daddy will be here soon."

The entire group was standing back so that the people going onto the helicopter could be on the elevator immediately as soon as they got the order. Two medical people had the Master Chief on the stretcher ready to go.

Rachel bent down to check the Master Chief. He was awake. She said," Master Chief, are you all set to go?

He said, " You know I am, Dr. Scott. Nothing will stop me until the good Lord is ready to take me. I knew the Captain would get us out of here and back on the ship."

Dr. Scott said, "What are all these people going to do after we leave?"

Danny said, "I don't know, but I am sure there are provisions being made for them."

Dr. Scott, Alisha, Tex , Danny and the Master Chief, all shook hands with the medical staff, which had helped all of them and told them that they would never forget what they had done.

The doctor who had treated her and Alisha said, "Dr. Scott, it has been an honor to treat you and your people. You have the cure and I am sure you plan to use it to cure humanity and that is worth all of our lives, if need by." He had tears in his eyes as did most of his staff and they all broke into applause."

Dr. Scott said, "There will be enough vaccine for everyone here, very soon, thanks to your help. I promise there will be enough for all of your families as well, as soon as I can get to a place I can make more. You have done your part and thank God for all of you. Stay safe."

One of the doctors held his hand up for everyone to be quiet. He was listening to his communicator. The helicopter is landing, but we are getting word that the attackers are no more that about 3 minutes behind them. We will not have time to load before they come. Send up the elevator. We have people coming in clear the way. Thorwald and the Captain are coming down. The helicopter is leaving."

The elevator stopped and the door opened. The Captain, Burke and Thorwald, in full black combat gear stepped out along with two more of Thorwald's men stepped out. The children ran to their daddy, in tears. He held them close to him as he handed his assault riffle to Danny, nodding to him and to Rachel with a tense smile of encouragement on his face. His blue eyes locked with Rachel's and he looked intently at her for a moment, conveying to her, his extreme desire to hold her close and to comfort her, but his focus returned to his children, who also had need of his attention.

Thorwald, closed the elevator door behind him and they could hear rapid gunfire from far up above, through the elevator shafts.

Thorwald held up his hand so that no one would speak. He had their full attention." Many of you have known this day might come and today it has. The location of the safe house has been compromised. That is the bad news. The good news is that nobody who is upstairs, defending this location knows that there is an underground facility underneath it. The ones who do know that, we put on the helicopter and the helicopter left before Granderson's forces arrived. There is still better news. There are several ways out of here. We have underground passages, leading to different areas. Some lead to other safe houses, which are quite a distance away. I want you medical personnel to split into your set units 1 and 2. I will open the passageways so that each group will go its separate way. When you get to the two safe houses, each unit leader will use their coded communicator to contact headquarters. There will be transportation from there to get you to your standard posts. You have all done a great job here. Now, go as fast as you can. If there is anything absolutely essential, take it with you. I hope that this location will be saved. We plan to come back with fire power to get the men fighting up above out. Hopefully the position will not be overrun. They should not find this place. Captain, you and your group will follow Jeff, here. I will join you shortly.

The Captain hugged his children. Ashley said, "Oh daddy, you said you would come for us and you did. I am so happy, but why is everyone looking so afraid?" She was almost crying and Sam was looking like he would cry also. They had been through so much.

Rachel stepped up to Ashley and put her arms around her. She said, "Don't worry, sweetheart, now that your daddy is here, everything will be just fine. We are just going to have an adventure, right Captain? Sam was still holding onto his father waist."

The Captain said to his entire group. "Yes, we are all going for a little walk. We have alternate plans, now that we could not use the helicopter here. We will be going for a walk through some underground tunnels which will lead to a place where we should be able to board the helicopter and return to the Nathan James. Thorwald has brought two of his men to carry the Master Chief's stretcher. I know that some of you are still weak because of injuries and recovery from the virus. We will help you all we can. I am not sure how far we will have to walk, but it may be a few miles. Don't worry, we will all make it" They had been following Jeff, to the location that Thorwald had suggested. The Captain had the canvas bag that Kara had pushed into his hands just before the helicopter had left the ship. He handed it to Rachel. She opened it up and found two pair of BDU pants. The Captain said that they had not had much notice about leaving, but Kara had taken a pair of Alisha's uniform pants and a pair of her own for Rachel, for them to put on. He explained that they had only about 10 minutes notice and there had not been time to run to Rachel's quarters for her slacks. He said. "I hope you two can at least use these." Both women thanked him and quickly put the pants on under the large uniform jackets that had already been provided. Finally they felt warmer and not so exposed... Kara was almost the same size as Rachel and the pants fit fine. Both women were so grateful.

Thorwald came back and led them to a hidden passageway. He said that this would lead farther away than some of the safe houses but would be nowhere near Granderson's forces.

They all started out, with Thorwald in the lead. The pace soon became too fast for the children. Tex picked up Sam and the Captain picked up Ashley, who laid her head on her daddy's shoulder. Tom held Ashley with one arm and had his other arm on Rachel, guiding her and judging if she was getting too tired. After a while, He asked Thorwald to hold up for a minute or two so his father and the women could rest. The men carrying the stretcher also needed to catch their breath. The Captain looked at Rachel, who looked ready to collapse, as did Alisha. The Captain said to Rachel "How are you doing, Dr. Scott.?"

He put Ashley down for a minute and she stood there. Ashley reached for Dr. Scott for comfort and she hugged the young girl, knowing how fearful she was about all that was happening. She said, I'm..fi..fine,… I think….., only a little dizzy."

Rachel suddenly felt all her strength leave her and her legs just seemed to collapse beneath her. She was falling. Suddenly she felt herself lifted into the strong arms of the Captain and her head was resting on his warm chest. She felt cradled and protected in his strong arms. as he whispered in her ear, "Easy now, tiger. You've had a pretty rough day, haven't you?"

Thorwald said very gallantly, "Captain, will you allow me to carry the fair Princess Ashley to our destination?"

The Captain responded in kind as if in a fairy tale. "Sir Thorwald, I, as the father of the fair Princess Ashley, would be honored if you would carry her to our destination, with my compliments and sincere thanks, I might add." The Captain gave Thorwald a knowing smile of thanks. The more he was around this man; the Captain had learned to trust and respect him. He could understand why his men seemed to revere him as their leader. Now, he saw still another facet of this extraordinary man. Thorwald also seemed to know how important it was for Ashley, in her vulnerable state, to know her father cared about her, even though he could no longer carry her himself. He wondered if Thorwald had a daughter of his own. He hoped they would get a chance to know each other better. He knew he liked Thorwald and would be proud to call him his friend.

Ashley said," Daddy, Sir Thorwald said I am a princess."

The Captain said, "He sure did. That's because you are a princess, Ash"

Sam piped up in Tex's arms. "Daddy, if Ashley is a princess, can I be a prince?"

Tex quipped ", Hey slugger, Are you sure you want to be a prince? Wouldn't you rather be a cowboy and I can be your black stallion."

Sam said, "Well, that does sound like more fun. If I could have my own black stallion."

The Captain looked at Lt. Granderson, who was bravely trying to keep from collapsing herself. He looked at Lt. Burke and tilted his head toward Alisha. Lt. Burke said to her, "I think you need a lift as well Alisha." She protested, but she was looking a little green around the gills, so to speak.

When she started to protest, the Captain said, "Alisha, let him carry you, at least for a while. That is an order."

Thorwald resumed the walking pace. The Captain's Dad was walking slower and Lt. Green was helping him along with one arm he could lean on. After about another mile, they reached the end of the tunnel. Thorwald called a halt. Everyone put down those who were being carried. All of the men with guns went forward to be with Thorwald. Thorwald said he was going to turn out the lights and open the passage way, but everyone must be very quiet. The Captain's children were holding on to Rachel and their gradfather, when Thorwald switched the lights off. It was pitch black. Thorwald moved an artificial rock to the side on sliders and the night air met them. They could vaguely see the outline of the helicopter, with all lights out, sitting on the ground not too far away. The Captain radioed his helicopter and Thorwald made contact on his communicator. The Captain was worried about the men they left behind. He told Thorwald that they needed to unload his family and the other quickly on the ship so He and Thorwald could get back to those fighters they had left behind at the safe house. Their walk had taken more than one hour.

Thorwald said that they had good news. Commander Slattery had heard that the attack they were mounting against the safe house was involving almost all of Granderson's forces , Thorwald's second in command had been contacted by those still at the safe house and Granderson's men had put their full force into this effort. They took almost everyone from the dock and sent them to the safe house with most of their SUVs and armored vehicles, along with a couple of small armed helicopters. They were dropping men from cords from the helicopters onto upper floors of the safe house. There were not enough men to defend the safe house from this kind of full attack. Mike had ordered the ship's attack helicopter to return to the ship and pick up more navy personnel and armament. They were on their way back in less than 10 minutes. They attacked Granderson's forces and took out both the helicopters and most of their vehicles. The Navy helicopter gun ship took some fire, but with the personnel they had firing from the helicopter as well as the short range missiles that were fired against the vehicles and the barricaded forces , the battle was won in short order and they had Granderson's men on the run physically, since they no longer had any of the vehicles they had brought with them. They really did not have near the firepower that the Navy gunship had. It had destroyed most of the ground forces that were firing from barricaded areas as well as armored cars. The Navy helicopter had loaded all of the personnel from the safe house who had tried to defend it and their wounded. Dr. Hayden has had a very busy was a very tough fight and there were casulties After the helicopter had unloaded all wounded and dead, Mike had ordered it back to the coordinates that Thorwald had provided him, where it would be ready for the Captain, Thorwald and everyone they had brought through the tunnels.

The Captain and Thornwood returned to the tunnel. The Captain said, "They are ready for us all to board the helicopter. Rachel was again standing. She said,' I am perfectly fine to walk, Captain."

He ignored her words and he lifted her into his arms, "Not this time, Tiger. I should have carried you from the start of this trek. Since you don't choose to tell me, when you are ready to collapse, I am taking the decision out of your hands and that is final. "

Rachel's eyes flashed with anger at the way he had chosen to simply ignore her wishes and pick her up like a child. He was so exasperating. Just who did he think he was dealing with?

He looked down into her stormy eyes. She saw that little crooked smile on his lips and the kindest, most gentle look in his beautiful blue eyes, as he said so softly, that only she could hear. "Take it easy. You know you are just like a baby tiger, all full of spit and fire, thinking you can conquer the world all by yourself, when you are not yet strong enough, to stand up on your own, much less walk straight. After what you went through today at Granderson's Lab, you will need some time, Rachel. You act like you can just walk away from it and forget about it. It doesn't work like that. It will take time, It can hit you sometimes when you least expect it. When it does, I want you to let me know. I won't let you fall."

Rachel felt him hold her a little closer to his chest and after a moment, she just let her head rest on his shoulder. How could she be so angry at him? He was trying to tell her he cared. He just had such an overbearing way of showing it, sometimes. She didn't want to even think about what had happened in that basement. She wanted to just think about something else, anything else. She was trying to ignore it. He was telling her she would not be able to ignore it forever, but she was definitely going to try.

Hope you liked the reunion. Drop me a line in a review to let me if you like the way the story is progressing. I have almost finished the next chapter . Should be out soon.


	17. Chapter 17 Victory Part 4

Chapter 17 Victory Part 4

I am posting this a little soon after I posted Chapter 16, be sure you have read that before you read this one. It is all part of the one day in which all of this happened.

Victory- Part 4 is somewhat long, but covers the final part of the day. So many things happen and so much will change after this point. I can't believe how much writing this took. I hope it did not become too much for many to read. This chapter has lots of Rachel and Tom and also more.

Hope you like. Again, can't say enough about the beautiful videos of Cathy Cath and Pandora576 spectacular inspiration for me.

XXX

The Helicopter gun ship lit up and the engines started. The light in the tunnel was lit again and all of the party in the tunnels was taken down to the helicopter where they were all helped aboard by armed navy personnel and some of Thorwald's men. Thorwald had turned the light out in the tunnels and slid the stone back into place covering the entrance.

XXX

When the helicopter landed back on the Nathan James, The Master Chief was taken off first. The Captain placed his hand on the Master Chiefs shoulder. "You don't know how glad I am, to have you back. Get some rest. We will talk soon."

Next, the Captain lifted his daughter and son off the helicopter and then Rachel and Lt. Granderson. Another Navy person helped Jed, the Captain's father off the helicopter.

The Captain said, "Dad, are you holding up alright? God, I haven't even had time to talk to you and make sure you were strong enough for how fast we had to travel. The pace and the length of that tunnel were a little rough, I know. I have to take care of a few things and check on my wounded, but I will be back in my quarters as soon as I can."

His dad looked proudly at his son. He said, "Don't worry about us. You do what you have to do and come to us when you can. You and I will have time to talk, but not tonight."

Thorwald picked up Ashley and Tex had little Sam. The Captain said to Thorwald," Tex will take you to my quarters and then if you will come back to the sick bay, you probably want to check on your wounded. We can discuss whether you want to bunk on the Nathan James tonight or go back to Baltimore."

Thorwald said that would be fine and he left the area with Tex.

Tex was again helping Jed along, as he carried Sam. Thorwald followed him to the Captain's stateroom. Tex opened the door and they all walked in. Thorwald gently let Ashley down so she stood next to her father's bed. Tex lowered a very tired little boy into his father's bed. Jed sat down gratefully on a chair nearby.

Thorwald said, "My lady, I must now take my leave. I have carried you to your destination." He took Ashley's hand and kissed it as he bowed to her in a courtly manner.

She stood tall and held her arms up to him for a hug and he bent down to let her put her arms around his neck. She said, "Thank you, Sir Thorwald."

He picked her up one last time as she hugged him and she kissed him on his cheek. He gently set her down on her feet and brushed a tear from his eyes, remembering the young daughter he no longer had, thanks to Amy Granderson.

Tex took Thorwald back to the sick bay. He needed to see about his wounded and speak with Dr. Hayden about their ability to travel or if they needed to stay here on the ship under his care for a while. Judging from those he was checking out, it seemed that they would be on board for a while. There were cots all over the area with wounded, some with just grazes and some who had surgery. He was sure glad Dr. Hayden was here.

He felt strange that he and the Captain had not been part of the action as they had originally planned to do, after getting Dr. Scott and the Captain's family and wounded crew members back to the ship. Commander Slattery had, of course, done the right thing. The safe house might have been overrun, if they had not sent the helicopter gun ship earlier. He was sure the Captain was just as sorry he wasn't in the thick of the battle. He knew the Captain was known for always being with his men in battle. There was no help for that, however, it was also extremely important to get Rachel, his Master Chief, the Captain's family and his other officers back on board. It would have cost many more lives, had Mike waited for him to bring the Captain and his group through the tunnels. That would have caused them to arrive to late. His respect for the US Navy and Commander Slattery was growing by the minute. He was proud to see that these people were still all navy and the discipline was kept as if everything about the Navy was still in tact. That had to come from the strong leadership of the Captain, a man he would have been proud to fight side by side with anytime.

The Captain asked Thorwald if he had to get back to Baltimore tonight or would he like to bunk on the ship tonight and he could check on his wounded again tomorrow. The ship could not really leave the area until Thorwald's wounded could return home and they had the dead to take care of, from Thorwald's group and from the Nathan James. The two of them had some important things to discuss. Thorwald said he would be obliged if he could stay on the ship tonight. The Captain told one of his officers to find a bunk for Thorwald and to show him the Wardroom so he could get a bite to eat. He told the officer to have Bacon put something together for him. The Captain still had to see to Dr. Scott, Alisha and his family.

The Captain had carried Dr. Scott into the Lab, through the Helo bay, which had been turned into a large sick bay, including a working operating room. More cots had been brought in for all of the injured. A number of the crew had volunteered to assist the medical team with all of the injured. Some of them were looking at Rachel and Lt. Granderson, who were obviously wearing the large BDU jackets of the Captain and Burke. They noticed the CHANDLER across Dr. Scott's chest and the Captain's rank insignias on the collar. The Captain was carrying Dr. Scott and her head was resting on his chest. Burke was carrying Alisha. There would be some questions about that. Dr. Scott was even wearing BDU pants. The Captain was being very gentle with her. She must be injured, as was Lt. Granderson. They wondered what had happened to their clothing.

As it turned out, there had been seven men killed in the battle at the safe house, 4 from the Nathan James and 3 of Thorwald's men. There had also been 3 more on the Helicopter who had been hit. They also had some of Thorwald's men who were wounded and needed surgery. They had all been brought back to the ship after the battle. They were all in sick bay or in surgery. Dr. Rios, Dr. Hayden and number cross- trained crew members, who were qualified to assist the doctors, were all taking care of the wounded and assisting in the surgery. Dr Hayden had been operating for hours now. Quincy was in critical, but stable condition. Dr. Hayden was almost finished with the last of the wounded.

Bacon had performed his antidote for the so called, "Spock" move, on all of Granderson's guards who had been paralyzed and they were more or less back to normal. They were all turned over to Thorwald's second in command. One of those guards was one of Thorwald's undercover personnel and that is why Thorwald and the Captain had not known that the ship was being taken back. When Bacon found out which one of the guards had actually been on his side, he had gone to the man and had had been allowed to take him to sick bay with him. There, he had performed a couple of other Dim Mak moves on his neck and other pressure points on his body to speed up his recovery from the original very devastating move. This man was very grateful, to say the least.

Xxxxxx

The Captain put Rachel on one of the cots and Lt. Granderson was put in the cot right next to it. The Captain said that he wanted the new Doctor to take a look at the two of them. Rachel said "Captain, please, just take me to my quarters. I can rest there."

The Captain said. "Dr. Scott, do you think that Lt. Granderson should just be taken to her quarters or do you think she might need a doctor to take a look at her wounds and to treat them?"

Dr. Scott answered, "Well, yes, Alisha should be seen by a doctor. I would take care of her myself under normal circumstances. How is Dr. Rios handling all of these wounded, Tom. I really need to get dressed and help him."

The Captain ran his hand through his hair and lowered his head. She certainly was not making things easy for him. "Dr. Rios is assisting a new surgeon that Thorwald found for us. He is a Navy surgeon. I want him to check you and Lt. Granderson. He will be out of surgery soon, I understand. I have not even had a chance to thank him for coming to our aid.'"

One of the crew said, "Captain, you can bring Dr. Scott into the examining room, now."

Dr. Scott gave the Captain a stern look and she snapped, "I can walk by myself."

She walked into the make shift examining area, which was made up of the exam table that Dr. Scott had set up for Kara, but sheets had been hung over metal pipe frames placed on all sides of it , surrounding the area. This way there was privacy from viewing, but everything could be heard. Rachel was very annoyed that the Captain had come into the room with her. He had not planned to stay, but he did want to meet this Dr. Hayden, who was so good to come and be of assistance to them.

The doctor had his back to them and was checking out what was at his disposal in the drawers of the cabinet that Dr. Scott had set up. He had a white lab coat on, over his BDUs. Dr. Scott was getting a panic feeling in her stomach. She did not know why, but she did not want this exam. The doctor had dark hair with a few streaks of silver. He was very tall, about the same height as the Captain. She thought there was something vaguely familiar about him. She sat at the end of the exam table.

Captain Chandler made the first move to introduce himself to their guest surgeon. He said, ''Dr. Hayden, I' m Commander Cha…."

He never finished the sentence, because the doctor turned around and both the Captain and Rachel did a double take and said at the same time, in utter amazement. "Zack? What are you doing here?"

Then the Captain and Rachel were looking at each other. They both said at the same time, "You know him?"

They both were looking at the tall, very handsome Commander Zack Hayden, as if they had seen a ghost. The Captain said, "Zack, what are you doing here? You are no surgeon. Why are you dressed like that? Who operated on my people?"

Dr. Hayden said, "God, Tom, Rachel, it is so good to see you both again." He gave them the big smile, that both of them remembered so well, one that use to make Rachel catch her breath. "I am sure this is all a big surprise to you. Actually, I am a surgeon. I rarely practiced medicine, but because of the special situation we find ourselves in, here in Baltimore, I couldn't stand around doing nothing when my skills were so desperately needed. Doctors are few and far between and certainly few that can do intricate surgeries. I use my skills where needed and they were certainly needed today. I am usually working, as you both know, in Naval Intelligence on special projects, connected to NASA."

Rachel said, " Zack, I haven't heard from you since about the third month into the mission. We were talking to each other almost every day, by SAT phone, and then it suddenly stopped. I thought you were probably dead, along with everyone else."

Before, he had a chance to answer, Captain Chandler asked him in a deadly quiet voice. "Zack, we have worked together for years in Naval Intelligence. You have always been one of my closest friends. Our kids played together, for God's sake. You are telling me that you knew all about this assignment, before it happened and you were talking to Dr. Scott every day on the Sat phone, when we were supposed to be on Radio Silence and you did not see fit to tell me what the hell was going on, you son of a bitch?"

Zack said, "Tom, I could not. It was highly classified and you of all people were not to be told."

The Captain said." Don't give me that. My top secret clearance is just as high as yours. My God, the projects we have worked on together, Zack. The dangers we have faced. What do you mean, you couldn't tell me? I just lost my wife today, because I did not get there in time to save her. I just barely got my children and my father out, in time, thanks to Dr. Scott's vaccine."

Zack said, "I am very sorry about Darien. We thought she was safe at your father's mountain cabin. We were trying to keep her safe for you, Tom. We could not tell you. How would your crew have felt about you if you had known and had kept this knowledge away from them at risk of the lives of their families? There is also more to it than that. Believe me, I understand. My wife chose to stay with me here, while I have been waiting for you both to return, but she went out one day and was taken by some of Amy Granderson's men." His voice cracked, "Before I could even locate her, Amy Granderson had recognized that she was part of Thorwald's group and gave her an injection of one of those toxic cocktails and she was dead within 30 minutes. Tom, you are not the only one who has suffered loss. I am truly sorry about Darien."

The Captain said softly, as he saw the tears in Zack's eyes. "I am sorry about Cynthia, Zack. What about your children?"

Zack said. "My children are fine, but are far away, safe. I have much to discuss with both of you, but this place is not private enough."

Rachel could not believe that Zack was here in Baltimore. She worked with him extensively as things were being set up for this trip, but even way before that. Oh my God. She had always had a vague attraction to him, as closely as they had worked together, but he was very married. It seemed all the good ones were. He was over 6 feet tall, jet black hair with some silver now and he had the most beautiful green eyes. He had never given her any indication that he was a doctor. She just couldn't see him as a doctor. There is no way she wanted to be examined by him, no way. This just could not be happening.

He said to Rachel, "Now, Rachel, Tom says I need to examine you. You have been injured?" He was looking at what she was wearing. "What are you doing in Tom's uniform jacket? You better get that off. Tom, I think you better step outside, now."

The Captain said, "Wait, Zack! She doesn't have anything on under that jacket and pants. I just rescued her and Alisha from the safe-house. They have been tortured. Rachel, tell him what happened. I will wait outside."

The Captain stepped outside the exam room, but he could clearly hear what was going on inside. Rachel said, "Oh, No, No. Zack, you are not a doctor, at least not to me. I worked with you…. and not as a doctor. I don't want you to examine me. You are my Navy contact person, You are Navy Intelligence. You are not a doctor. Get away from me, Zack. I don't want to te….te…tell….you….anything… I … I …am..fine..I want to go back to …..my quarters….now.….Don't you dare…touch…me!…Zack…get …away….Tom…Don't ….let…him..touch…me…"

Zack tried to calm her down. He could see she was becoming hysterical. He said, "Rachel, just let me help you. What happened to you?"

Rachel screamed…."They took our clothes…..They … they.. had knives…they cut my clothes…. No …. No…I can't . …Don't touch me….. Zack, you let go of me. You are not my doctor."

The Captain was pacing back and forth outside the exam room, with his head in his hands. He yelled, without thinking, "Clear the room!"

He looked at Alisha and their eyes met. She said, "Sir?" She was looking almost as hysterical as Rachel was, hearing what Rachel was saying.

He suddenly looked up at the startled medical people and the cots full of people and he said, feeling like a fool, "Belay that order!"

He could hear Zack saying softly, "Rachel, I am going to give you a sedative."

She said, "No, No . I don't need a sedative. I DO NOT WANT A SEDATIVE!"

Zack said," Rachel, did they rape you? "

The Captain blinked and swallowed hard.. He had never thought that they could have done that. He prayed, " Oh, Dear God, please not that!" Now he was really getting worried.

Rachel yelled out load, " No….. No…. I don't want you Zack. I don't want you to do that. Don't….."

The Captain thought his heart was breaking, hearing the agony in her voice. He could not take this anymore. He walked back into the exam room and Zack was struggling with Rachel. He had her by the arms and was trying to reason with her. The Captain pulled Zack away from her. He turned to Rachel, taking her into his arms. He said, "Rachel, just calm down."

He could feel the same type of quivering that she had when he had taken her out of the basement. He held her close to his body and he stroked her back and tried to calm her. He said. "You are alright. It is going to be alright Rachel. You are just having a reaction to the experience you had today. Remember, I told you that could happen. You are going to be alright. I will tell him what happened. You don't have to talk about it. Easy, now, you are going to be fine."

She was sobbing into his shoulder. Her shaking was starting to subside. Zack was preparing a hypodermic needle, shaking his head. The Captain told him to get Dr. Rios. He left the room for a couple of minutes and came back with Dr. Rios, who was now holding the hypo.

The Captain said "Rachel, Dr. Rios is here and he is going to give you a little something so you can sleep, alright?"

She said, "No… I …am …okay now...I am so sorry. I don't know what happened. I just started shaking, like earlier today. I will be okay. I just didn't want Zack to …. to…see me."

The Captain said, "You are going to be fine. You just need some sleep, Rachel."

Dr. Rios gave her the injection in her arm, as the Captain held her.

Rachel said "Yes, I just need to sleep. I will be fine. Don't leave me. I just need to sleep.I just need you. I just…I will sleep now. ..be alright… I will be…. just sleep…with …you….."

He gently laid her back on the exam table. He looked up at Zack. There eyes met and Zack said," What happened to her, today, Tom?"

He told him what he knew of what had happened. "I tried to tell her that she would have residual effects from what happened, but it just hit her now. I think she could not tell you what happened, because she had not let herself see it."

Zack said. "Tom, how did they torture her?"

Tom said. "Zack, they used electrodes of varying intensities. She has burns, but they are not as bad as the psychological trauma. She will get past this, but some of it will be with her for a while. We both know how that goes. Fortunately, they did not have them for a long time, maybe only for an hour or so. They had one of my young female officers, as well. You may get more out of her. I think they did more to Rachel than they did to her, but she could tell you more. God, Zack, you don't think they raped her?"

Zack said "Someone needs to stay with her, so when she wakes up, there will be someone there. I will need to examine those burns and I can see if she was raped."

Tom's stomach turned at the thought of Zack examining Rachel. He did not want him to touch her. He didn't know why. Zack had to be a real doctor. He just was not use to thinking of him as a doctor. The thought of Zack, one of his best friends, examining Rachel and seeing her without her clothes seemed as out of place as if Mike just walked in and said he was a doctor, out of the clear blue sky and he was going to examine her. He just could not get his head around it and apparently, neither could Rachel. Zack had worked closely with him on Top Secret naval projects involving both of them being in Naval Intelligence, but he knew nothing of him being a doctor.

The Captain said, "You know, Zack, the way she feels about you examining her. I would rather you have Dr. Rios do it. She would be upset when she wakes up and finds out you examined her without her permission."

Zack said, "That is fine with me, Tom. I am really maxed out after all the surgeries today and I have patients to check on. I will call Dr. Rios to come in and check her out, along with the other young officer that was with her. I can understand how she feels. I guess it was rather a shock to suddenly see me in the roll of a doctor."

The Captain said." It was a shock for me as well. You have a lot of secrets don't you Zack?"

While Dr. Rios was checking out Rachel and Alisha, the Captain took care of other duties. He checked on a few of his wounded and thanked them for the great work they had done.

The Captain was exhausted himself and he had been through so much today. He went to check on his family in his stateroom. Sam and Ashley were asleep in his bed. His poor dad had fallen asleep in the chair with his head against the wall. He awakened his father and had him lie down on the couch in the office and got and extra blanket and pillows. He knew that tomorrow he would find accommodations for everyone, but for now, they were safe. He thanked God for that.

He also needed to speak with Thorwald. He picked up the small case with the last dose or the vaccine that he had saved for Darien. He took the case with him.

He went back down to sick bay and found that Dr. Rios was finished with Rachel and with Lt. Granderson. He asked how they were and was there any sign of rape. Dr. Rios explained that Alisha said they were not raped. They were both shook up about the experience. The doctor said that Kara was going to keep an eye on Alisha, since they were roommates.

He said that he and Dr. Hayden would be in sick bay all night with the injured and he thought Rachel should be kept there overnight as well, after the reaction she had regarding what had happened. He did not want her left alone in her quarters. He showed him where Rachel was sleeping and said he could visit her if he wanted. Dr. Rios said, " I guess you may be wanting this back." He handed the Captain his BDU jacket, that Rachel had been wearing.

The Captain sat in the chair by her bed, so exhausted himself that he could barely keep his eyes open. He left his BDU jacket over the arm of the chair, next to her bed. He did not think she would wake up for a few hours, so he went to the Wardroom to get a cup of coffee.

He found Thorwald there. Both of them looked done in. They sat there with their coffee mugs. The Captain told Thorwald how much it meant to him to have an ally like him and that he could not have gotten his family back or Rachel, without him. He said they would definitely have a meeting together tomorrow. He said, I think we have a number of vaccinations still available. We did not give them all to Granderson. He took out the kit that held the hypodermic that he had saved for his wife. He said. "I had saved this for my wife, but as you know, I was too late to save her. I want you to have it. If you will allow me, I will inject you myself. It will give you so much more freedom to be around others who might be infected."

Thorwald said, "Will there be enough for my people?"

"From what Dr. Rios told me, I think so, but we will be making more so that soon the whole city will be clear of danger."

He said, "In that case, I gratefully accept." He rolled up his sleeve and the Captain gave him the injection. The Captain shook his hand and left to go back to the sick bay. He said, "We will talk more, tomorrow. Good night."

When the Captain went back to Rachel's cot, in the sick bay, he looked down at her sleeping peacefully. He saw that, somehow, she had taken his BDU jacket from the arm of the chair where he had left it and she had it clutched in her hand, holding it to her breast, almost like a child would hold their security blanket. He smiled softly as he looked down at her face, so beautiful and childlike, as she slept. He wanted to stay with her all night, but his family needed him and he needed them. He stayed with her a little while longer, touching her face softly, as if to sooth the pain she had endured this day. He then left to go, at last, to his quarters, to his family.

He was very quiet when he walked into his stateroom. His father was asleep on the couch in the office. He went to his bedroom and found both of his children cuddled together in his bed. He took off his combat uniform, shoes and socks and put on a pair of sweatpants and an undershirt from the drawer. He carefully climbed into his bed with little Sam and his dear sweet Ashley. He gathered them into his arms as they slept. As he lay there, his throat ached with his loss and he could no longer hold back the tears as they rolled, unchecked, down his face. He cried her name silently into the night, when he wanted to scream it at the top of his lungs, as his heart was torn asunder, as the two little ones, the products of their love, rested safely in his arms. Finally, when he thought he could no longer hold back the terrible racking sobs of his anguish, that threatened to erupt like a volcano, breaking the peaceful silence of his sleeping family, he felt the overwhelming force of her love sweep over them, as they lay there. He felt her loving hand stroke his face, soothing his pain. He could hear the softness of her voice and the musical tones of her laughter as she said, "Rest, my love…. Soon, all will be well….. Sleep, now…. All is well… …."

He felt the pain in his chest begin to ease and he let out a long ragged breath, as a sense of peace filled him, like nothing he had ever experienced and his breathing gradually began to calm and his spirit began to heal. He closed his eyes and slept, for he knew, with all his heart, that he and the children were held in the circle of her arms, as she watched over them this night.


	18. Chapter 18 The Morning After Baltimore

Chapter 18 The Morning After Baltimore

(Thanks to Joys of October and MorningGlory 2 for all their help in editing and for their suggestions which really helped this Chapter to be presented in the best maner possible.)

Dr. Zack Hayden had been up most of the night. He had checked several times on Rachel, along with the other patients, who were in sick bay. Both he and Dr. Rios had made the rounds on a regular basis. There was always one or both of them around in case someone needed water or medication. He was dead tired, but these people had fought hard and deserved what ever attention he could give them. He had told the Captain that he didn't want Rachel to wake up alone, after what she had been through. Even when he was in another part of sick bay, he had his eye on her, in case he saw movement. He knew how traumatic a torture experience could be. He knew ways of helping her, but she would have to learn to trust him and that might take time. She was worth the time it would take.

Right now, he was worried that she did not want to see him as a doctor .Of course, what did he expect? He had sprung it on both her and Tom. Due to the top secret nature of the advanced type of medicine he was trained in, he could not let most people know he was a doctor at all. He was trained in standard medicine, but what he knew beyond that was not something that could be shared at this time and only used in extreme situations. He would have to let her know about some of what he could do, now that he had been given instructions that she could be trained in some of the methods. He would also need to help her in the lab, especially since her assistant Quincy would not be able to return to his job soon. Quincy was very lucky to be alive. He would not try to be her doctor. It would be better to let her see him and learn to trust him as a doctor, while she got use to him in that role.

When they had worked together in his capacity as her Naval Intelligence contact, he had enjoyed being around her. She was one of most accomplished scientists in her field that he had ever met and she was also young and beautiful. He had purposely never introduced her to the other scientists or Naval Officers who were evaluating her work, until after they had read and understood her theory and the science behind it. If they met her first, they might be distracted from what she really had to offer them scientifically. It was a sad reflection on his own sex to have to admit this, but he had seen it happen all too often and when it came to Rachel, he could not take a chance that they would not see her true value, no matter how beautiful she was. She was brilliant and they needed her. She might be their only hope. He had seen very smart men lose their concentration around Rachel. She just had that effect on men it seems. He, himself, had fortunately read her papers first and to say he was impressed was to put it lightly. He had decided that she was the one they should trust to find the answer to the Virus and who they should send out on the Nathan James.

When he met her, there was an immediate attraction between them. He could feel it, but he did not let it take hold, because he was a happily married man with two children.

He was glad of that, because he would not have wanted her to leave on the Nathan James and he had no choice but to send her. He was able to speak with her everyday, by SAT phone and that he liked to do, but it was all very platonic. She was safely away from him, so he was not tempted. He was drawn to her, but he loved Cynthia too much to ever do anything and Rachel was not the type of woman who would let herself be part of anything with a married man. He was grateful for that. Neither of them needed any distractions. When he spoke with her by SAT phone, he was glad she was far away, because she did sometimes interfere with his usually razor sharp concentration, when they worked together in person. Now that they would be working closely, he knew he would have to keep a tight rein on himself. He was still mourning Cynthia and it seemed that Tom felt Rachel to be very much his responsibility, to a fault.

He was a little mystified by the seeming connection between Tom and Rachel. She seemed very dependent on him, but that was probably just because of the trauma she had just suffered and the fact that he had, along with his and Thorwald's men, just rescued her and the other young officer from Granderson's basement interrogation chamber. God, no wonder she was hysterical. All she had on was Tom's uniform jacket and some borrowed BDU pants. He should not have approached her the way he did. He should have gotten Dr. Rios right away, but he cared about her and wanted to help her. The fact that she could not see him as her doctor, he should have expected, if he had known what she'd been through. Hell, he had thought maybe she had a cut or needed some stitches. He's had no idea that she had been tortured or that he might have to do a rape exam, not on Rachel.

He thought about Tom Chandler and the fact that he'd just lost his wife that day. He knew his friend had not even had a chance for that to hit him. He had been putting out fires, fighting battles and rescuing people, his own family included, all day. He remembered how he, himself had practically gone berserk when he found out how Cynthia had been put to death by Granderson. He had run out into the woods and had stood shaking from head to foot. He had screamed her name at the top of his lungs over and over, until he had no more voice. He had dropped to the ground on his knees, great, racking sobs ripping uncontrollably from his body, until there was no more strength left in him. He felt as though his heart was ripping apart and then he had fallen to the cool grass in exhaustion. He thought of his friend, who had to suffer his grief in silence. He knew there was nowhere on this ship, he could go, There were people all over the decks, guarding the ship, should anyone try to board. He was close to Tom and his family and he knew how much Tom loved Darien. His heart ached for what his friend must be going through.

He felt some personal responsibility, because he had tried to make sure Darien and the kids made it up to Jed's cabin and that they had enough food, but then all hell had broken loose in Baltimore and DC, Maryland and Virginia. He had to get his wife and family to a safe area. He'd wanted to send Cynthia to the Island with their boys, where he knew they would be safe, but she refused to go without him. He told her, that he had to wait for Tom and the Nathan James to come to Baltimore. He knew the only chance the world had, was Rachel's vaccine, if she could get the virus back to a lab at the CDC or the Navy Lab.

They took their sons, Eric, 12 years old and Christopher, 8 years old, to the Island and made sure they were settled in. He had made sure his parents were also on the Island and the boys were to live with them until he and Cynthia could come back. He should have forced Cynthia to stay. He should have laid down the law to her. He could have done that, even though she was one of the strongest willed women he had ever met, he could have made her stay there. Looking back, he knew he should have gotten Tom's family to the Island also, but he couldn't have done that unless he told Tom what he was not allowed to tell him.

He had let Cynthia stay with him in Baltimore. They found Thorwald's freedom fighters and were under their protection. Thorwald could not know that he was really on orders to be in Baltimore. He had helped Thorwald's people when they needed his type of surgical skill. He was not in uniform, but Thorwald knew he was a Navy Commander. It was still very dangerous. He did not know how long they would have to wait for Tom and Rachel or where she would be in her search for a vaccine. Tom Chandler and the Nathan James were finally here and he was aboard the Nathan James, where he was supposed to be. Now he could get back to his children, but it would take some time. His friend, the Captain of the Nathan James, knew nothing of what the Navy had planned for him and his crew. He would have to have that talk soon with Tom and Mike, not to mention the conversation he would have to have with Rachel.

He looked down at Rachel. He saw how she was clutching Tom's BDU uniform jacket to her chest, holding it close to her face. He remembered how Tom had held her in his arms, comforting her, how he had rushed right back into the examination room, pushing him away from her and ordering him to get Dr. Rios. He knew that Tom had orders from the top to take care of Rachel, but he wondered at their relationship. He somehow knew Tom well enough to know that no matter what it looked like Tom had not been unfaithful to Darien. He'd seen the stricken look in his eyes, when Tom told him about losing Darien today, but he had also seen such a mix of compassion, pain and caring in his eyes when it came to Rachel. It sure looked like he was providing Rachel with what she needed for comfort, but it looked like he was giving her a lot more than his protection.

Tom wasn't here for her now, however. He could not be in two places at once, no matter how much he wanted to.

Zack decided he would be here for her when she awakened or he would get Dr. Rios to be with her if he, himself, would cause her a problem. He didn't know why, but it was extremely important to him to let her know, right away, that he would never be a threat to her or try to force himself on her, as a doctor. If he just had a chance to speak with her so she knew he would never hurt her or frighten her, he had to take that chance.

He saw her move and he rushed to her side and bent over her. She opened her eyes and said, "Tom?"

He said in a very soft voice, "Rachel, Tom had to go back to his quarters to be with his children, but he stayed here with you for a long time during the night."

She looked up at Zack and looked like she was going to panic.

Zack said quickly," No Rachel, it is alright. Dr. Rios is your doctor. He took good care of you and Alisha last night. It wasn't me. I am so sorry, I made you uncomfortable. I should have known you would not be easy with me as a doctor, until I did some other explaining and that has to wait until later today or tomorrow, when you are feeling up to talking about it. I just wanted you to have someone with you when you awakened. Would you like some water, or do you need me to get Dr. Rios?"

Rachel said, "Oh, no, Zack, I am so sorry for the way I reacted. I just had a really bad experience and I am sure you are an excellent doctor, but I just couldn't tell anyone about what had happened. I don't think I could have told Dr. Rios, either. When I was examined at the Safe House, they knew I'd been tortured and I was in too much shock to really deal with what had happened. It just seemed to overwhelm me last night. I feel like such a fool. It was just such a shock to see you, here and ready to examine me. I just couldn't handle it."

Zack took her small hand in his large one and she felt his warmth and strength. He said, "No, no, Rachel, your reaction was normal, for someone who had just been through what you went through. You are going to be just fine. It will take a while to get over the trauma of what happened, but it will happen, I promise. Dr. Rios said that you need to stay here until morning anyway. I think you are feeling much better after your sleep. You just need to take it easy today. No work, I think."

She looked closely at Zack, who she could see, was exhausted. She said, "Zack, you look done in, you need to get some sleep yourself and I need to take up some of the slack."

He said, "Don't worry, Rios and I have been spelling each other and I have had a couple of hours of sleep, here and there, throughout the night. We have some seriously wounded people here, the worst is Dr. Tophet."

Rachel was horrified to hear that. She asked him what had happened and he explained how Dr. Tophet had tried to save the bridge and had been shot in the stomach area and how he had almost died.

Rachel said, "Zack, you saved him, didn't you? Neither Dr. Rios, nor I are real surgeons and if any major organs were involved and usually they would be with a stomach wound, it would have been very hard for us to have saved him. I will visit him. Kelly and Ava, his daughter, must be terrified."

Zack said, "I am sure they would appreciate a visit. They have had a rough time of it. That will probably be fine, after you get a bit more sleep and do it later in the morning. . Let's see what Dr. Rios says, but you can't do that until morning. You can go back to your quarters then and get some other clothes. For now, you need to rest for a few more hours."

He looked down at her with his sea green eyes, which were kind and caring and he pulled her blanket up, careful not to disturb Tom's jacket, which she was still clutched to her chest. He could see she was using it as a security blanket. She clutched Tom's jacket closer as she again closed her eyes. She reached out and touched his hand. "Thank you Zack. It was kind of you to check on me."

He gave her a warm smile and he whispered, "Sleep, now, Rachel. I will see you in the morning."

XXXXX

Ashley stirred as she slept, cuddled against her daddy's body, as he held her close to him as the Captain and his two children lay sleeping, this first night on the ship. Little Sam lay with his head and chest resting on his daddy's lower abdomen, with his left arm extended across his stomach. His daddy's large right hand rested on Sammy's back, giving him comfort and keeping him safe.

This was the scene that Jed awakened to the next morning after their arrival on the Nathan James. It was so good to see his son with his children, as a family. He knew how much Tom needed them now and how much they needed him. He saw Ashley stir and he ducked his head back on the pillow, not wanting them to know he had been watching them.

When Ashley moved, her Daddy's eyes opened and he saw she was awake. He smiled at her and said softly, "Hi, baby?" He gave her a little hug.

Ashley was looking around them in the bed. "Daddy, is Mommy still here?"

His eyes softened as he looked at her beautiful face, so much like her mother's. Before he could answer, Ashley continued. "She was here last night, Daddy. I saw her. She was so pretty and she was wearing a beautiful white dress. It flowed all around her, like the nightgown you gave her last Christmas, remember? I could smell her perfume, the one you always give her for Mothers Day. She wasn't sick anymore, Daddy. She was smiling. There was a beautiful light around her….. Oh, Daddy, don't cry….. Mommy said she loved us all very much and that she is just fine. She kissed you on the forehead, when you were sleeping. She touched your face, Daddy. She said 'Don't wake him, Ashley. Your Daddy is very brave and he has had such a long hard day. You and Sammy should be very proud of your Daddy.'"

Ashley continued, "Daddy, Mommy told me to tell you not to be sad. She said that Rachel will take care of Sammy and me and you and Gramps too. She said that very soon, everything will be better and we will all be happy again. She said she would always be in here, (she touched his chest, over his heart) and she kissed me and Sammy and she put her arms around all of us. She told me to go to sleep and she would stay with us all night. I was hoping she would still be here. I guess she had to go, Daddy. I will always remember her like I saw her last night."

She hugged her Daddy, who was trying to regain control of his emotions. Little Sam had awakened and had heard the story. Jed walked over and sat down on the edge of his son's bed. He put his hand on his son's shoulder and touched Ashley and Sam.

Tom looked at his father, his eyes still showing the tears that had started to flow. He said,"She was here last night, Dad. I felt her also and I heard her voice as well. She told me all will be well, soon."

Jed said, "Well, it seems to me that Darien has chosen Rachel to take care of all of us."

Tom said," That may well be, after a while, but right now, she needs someone to take care of her."

Tom said, "I'll tell you what. Why don't we all get dressed and I will take you to the wardroom for some breakfast and then I have to figure how to get everyone a shower and a few other things that you will need."

The children only had the clothes they had come through the tunnels in, but they were all hungry, so they just put those on, as did Jed. Tom put on his BDU pants with a Nathan James T-shirt. Having his family on the Nathan James presented him with a few situations he would have to deal with right away. He would have to make sure they could all get showers and he would have to find clothing for them. Oh well, one thing at a time, he thought, though he must solve this one right away after breakfast.

Just then, there was a knock at the door of his quarters. He wondered who would be knocking since only serious official business would be allowed to interrupt the Captain's sleep, normally. It was still fairly early.

He opened the door and was shocked to see Dr. Scott. She was wearing her regular clothing. She must have left the sick bay, probably without the permission of Dr. Rios.

She had his BDU jacket folded over her arm.

He said gently "Dr. Scott, what are you doing here? You should be getting some rest in sick bay."

He stepped back, indicating that she should come in. She stepped into the office. Jed and the children were all there ready to go to breakfast.

Dr. Scott said, "Oh, I am so happy to see you all up and around, but you must try to take it easy for a few days. You are all going to feel better and better each day, but I will need to check you out as you recover, so you are going to see a lot of me.

The children ran up and hugged Dr. Scott. Tom saw her wince when they happened to touch some of the burns which were healing underneath her clothing.

The Captain said, "Dr. Scott, did you get Dr. Rio's permission to leave sick bay?"

She looked down, not really wanting to meet his eyes. "Well he told me I would be able to go back to my own quarters today, so I decided to do it early. I have things to do and I did want to check out Jed and the children. I also wanted to check on you, Captain. You did not have an easy day of it, yesterday. Then I need to go see Quincy, Kelly and Ava."

The Captain said, "As a matter of fact, there are some things I want to speak with you about, as well. Have you had breakfast, Dr. Scott? We were just heading up to the Ward 'Room and we would all be happy if you would join us."

Dr. Scott looked directly into the intense blue eyes of the Captain and said, "Captain, I would be delighted to have breakfast with you and your wonderful family. First, I wanted to give you back your BDU jacket. She looked directly into his eyes alone when she said, "I can truly say that I don't know what I would have done without it."

The Captain gave her that little crooked grin of his and they looked deeply into each other's eyes. He bent close to her ear so that no one else could hear it. "It looks like my baby tiger is standing up and walking straight again, at least for now. You still have some healing to do, Rachel, so don't take things too fast. Will you promise me that you will let me know if you need me? I didn't let you fall last time and I won't let you fall, now."

Rachel placed her hand on his arm and nodded, "I promise, Captain."

Ashley said, "Daddy, did you just call, Dr. Scott, Rachel? Do you think Dr. Scott is the 'Rachel' Mommy was talking about last night?"

The Captain looked a bit taken aback and Dr. Scott looked at him closely, her eyes wide.

The Captain looked down for a moment and then raised his head, his face a bit flushed. "Ashley had a dream about her mother last night and in the dream, Darien said that Rachel would take care of her and Sam."

Ashly said, "Daddy, it was not a dream and you saw her too!"

Rachel whispered to the Captain with a little grin and mock sternness. "WORD, Captain.?"

He took her by the arm and led her to the opposite end of the office and stood close to her so he could hear what she had to say. "Tom, you will not believe this, but I also had a dream about Darien. She sure seems to have gotten around last night. I opened my eyes and saw your wife standing over me, as I lay there with your BDU jacket covering me. She smiled at me with the most loving expression I have ever seen. I recognized her from the picture in your office. I will need to speak with you in private about what she said to me. It is too personal for me to say here, but it is something you need to hear. When could we meet alone and where, Tom? I was not going to mention anything to you about this, because I thought it was just a dream. But if we all had this experience with her the same night, I think maybe she was really here."

Tom said, "I think you may be right, as hard as it is to believe. I will think about a place we can meet. I will find a way. There is so much I have to do today and I am sure you do also. First, let's go have breakfast and I will speak with you about something I have been thinking about with regard to logistics, since my children and Dad have joined us on the Nathan James."

They all left for the Wardroom and as they had breakfast at the table, he spoke to Rachel and his family about a few things that they needed to discuss.

First, he mentioned the showering situation. He asked Rachel if she would consider, at least for a while, taking Ashley to the showers with her. He said that they would be using his Captain's sign, when they were there and no one would disturb them. He thought this might be good for Rachel as well, because she would have privacy, after what she had suffered in Baltimore. She readily agreed. He said that they could not go when the main groups in the crew were scheduled to be there, so they could get ready for their duty shifts.

He told Jed that he would have to take Sam with him, unless he, himself would be able to find time to do it. As Captain, he was often showering at very odd hours. They would all be able to use his Captain's sign. They would have to get some kind of schedule. Any one of them that wanted to use the Captain's sign to be really alone, would be okay, as long as it was not Ashley or Sam, who would need to be accompanied.

As they were having breakfast, the Captain noticed Thorwald was sitting at one of the other smaller tables by himself. He got up and asked Thorwald to join them. The Captain asked Doctor Scott, if the Nathan James still had enough of the vaccine to be able to inoculate all of Thorwald's people or at least all of his key people. Rachel said that she would have to see how much had left and how many she could inoculate. She wanted to give the vaccine to all of his key people including the medical people and if possible, their families.

Rachel said that, as a matter of fact, she was able to use 1/3rd of the strength for a vaccine, as opposed to the dose she would give to someone who already had the virus. She had also been growing some more virus, much faster than before and with all of the equipment and supplies that had been gotten from Granderson's lab, she would be able to make up more of it shortly.

She said to Thorwald, "You will have to give me the numbers you need and include their families. You have done so much for us.

He said, placing his hand over hers, "Dr. Scott, you are our guardian Angel. My men were willing to give their lives to get you out of there. You will be saving not only them, but their families. I will speak with the Captain about beginning to see if we can set up supply lines. We will have to use barter and we will have to find someway to supply the power plants with coal, so we will have electricity. We certainly will not be burning more bodies. With the danger from the virus lessening, we can try to rally people who have various skills and find ways for us to use them to get some kind of civilization back to this country, one step at a time."

The Captain noticed that Thorwald was seemingly studying Ashley, for long periods of time. He almost made a comment, when Thorwald turned to the Captain and said, "I have an offer of something I think you need and something Ashley might welcome."

He said, "I don't believe you know that I had a daughter about Ashley's age, but she died three months ago in a gunfight that we had between me and some of Granderson's men. I was shot myself in the shoulder. My daughter did not make it. The reason I am telling you this is that I have not had the strength to go through her clothing, until now. She has everything a young girl like Ashley could want. Would you let me get all of the clothes together and bring them over to your daughter, Captain? I would be honored if you would let her have these things. I also have games and certain items that young girls might like."

The Captain was so grateful to Thorwald. This was a problem he had not been able to figure out. Thorwald said he would check with his people and see what they could come up with for Sam. The Captain asked Thorwald if they knew where he could find baby paraphernalia. He explained that they had one baby on its way. He planned to get Navy uniforms for Jed to wear. He asked if he knew where he could get some women's clothes for Kelly Tophet and he supposed that Ava could share what Ashley would be getting. Also Bertrice needed some other clothing. She'd been wearing navy clothes, but they would eventually run out of uniforms. He did not want to even think about that.

The Captain said that he needed to speak with Zack. Maybe Cynthia had some clothing he could spare for his civilian women. For all he knew, Zack might have a supply chain of his own.

He asked Rachel if she had been alright in sick bay overnight. She mentioned that Zack had come by a couple of times to make sure she was alright. She said, "You know, Tom, after I had calmed down from my overreaction to him, he was really quite charming. He said that he had much to speak about to both of us and that he had some things to teach me regarding the type medicine he is trained in. He also said he could give me a hand until Quincy is able to help in the lab again."

Tom could not believe his own reaction to her words. His face was dark and his eyes were stormy. He could just picture Zack there when he himself would visit Rachel's Lab, like he always did before Baltimore. Now Zack would be there. He remembered how Zack was at the Academy, before he had found Cynthia, who he had dearly loved. He always saw him having to fight off the number of girls who were interested in him. He always had any woman he wanted, until Cynthia. She had made him come to her. Even though Zack was his friend, he did not like him being around Rachel. She said she found Zack charming. He said to himself," She never told me, I was charming."

Of course if Zack was describing the Captain, he would have said almost the identical thing, about him when he was in the Academy. Tom had forgotten how many girls he had going after him, because the only one he'd ever been really interested in was Darien. Now, he seemed to be getting jealous at the thought of another man, who Rachel was describing as "Charming", even looking at her. He was certainly glad he had insisted that Zack get Dr. Rios to take care of her.

He knew that both he and Zack were in mourning for their wives, but Zack's wife had died a couple of months before Darien. Zack had said something about the fact that he had been waiting for the Nathan James. What the hell was that all about? he wondered. He said he had some things to discuss. Could he still have some contact with the Navy? He remembered that Zack said that "they" had tried to keep Darien and the children safe, while he was at sea. What could he have meant by that?

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Hint for next chapter:

The Captain looked at Rachel with his intense blue eyes. "Rachel, exactly what did Darien say to you, when you were in sick bay?"

Rachel had decided that she must tell him the things Darien had said to her, as she lay in sick bay. She had thought this could not be real, but after all she had heard from Ashley, she knew she had to tell him what she had originally planned never tell him. She had a deep feeling inside that Darien wanted him to know.

(Thank you for all your wonderful reviews. Please feel free to give me an idea if you like the way the story is going I would love to get any of your comments and suggestions . It is a long way until the summer when we get to see our hero characters in action again. Hope these fics help the wait.


	19. Chapter 19 The Afternon After Baltimore

Chapter 19 The Afternoon After Baltimore

After Rachel had taken the time to take Ashley to the showers and let her know about how they would use the Captain's sign, she let her take a shower, but she herself decided she would want privacy with her injuries. She would take one by herself later. She took Ashley back to her father's quarters and then returned to her own to lay down for a bit.

As she lay there, she remembered about how the conversation with Darien had occurred last night, when she was in sickbay. She remembered how she had awakened with a start. There was someone standing by her bedside. She looked up and could not believe her eyes. It was Darien. She recognized Tom's wife from the picture on his desk.

Rachel said, doubting her sanity, "Darien?"

Her first thought was that something must have happened and Darien really had survived, but that could not be. The woman standing there looking down at her with the most loving and soft, sweet smile was not sick. In fact, she looked as beautiful as she was in the photographs Tom had of her, on his desk. She was actually wearing the very slacks and sweater she was wearing in that photograph.

Darien said, "Oh Rachel, or should I call you Dr. Scott? I am so sorry to startle you like this, but I have very little time left to take care of a few things I need to address before I have to leave. There is something very important that I have to say to you and a favor I need to ask of you. When I was sick, I was too exhausted to write a coherent letter and I needed to understand where things stood after I was gone. More than anything, when I lay there dying, I worried what would happen to my children and my husband, . I knew that his ship was coming to Baltimore and that the government, what was left of it, was trying to contact him about having a place to finish your work. I prayed that he would be back before it was too late for my children and Jed."

She continued, "You may not know this, Rachel. When someone crosses over, they can see everything: the past, present and the future as it stands at the moment. I can also see into the hearts and minds of those who are still here. I have seen all that has happened here on the ship during the time Tom was away from me and how hard you both fought to get the vaccine so that you could literally save what was left of the world. I saw how he ordered his ship to leave him in the ocean, effectively cutting himself off from rescue, in order to make sure the island girl made it to you, so you would have a chance at making the vaccine. I saw how he was captured by the Russians. Rachel, I saw how you risked your life to save him and keep him from being tortured again. I saw how you passed the note, with the kiss. No matter how much you tried to hide your feelings, they were there. How could they not be? You were Tom's first priority and his responsibility. With my husband, there is one thing that is more important than his life and that is his commitment to duty."

Darien continued, "Anyone who could give themselves up to the Russians in order to try to save the lives of the two men you saved, plus all the others who were saved because of your single act of extreme courage, would have to have the same commitment to duty as my husband or to be in love with him, or both. I cannot blame you for that and you never told him of your feelings for him, nor did you ever try to undermine his commitment to our marriage. If I had lived, we would not be having this conversation and I would still have my husband. I know that. The fact remains, however, that I am no longer there and I want to know my children and my husband are in good hands, loving hands.

I saw how, even as wounded and traumatized as you were, after the torture you endured, you still found time to comfort my children, when they were sick and still so effected by my death and the fact that their Daddy could not be with them at this very critical time. You made a bond with them almost immediately and you became the one they knew was there for them. If I could choose the person that my husband would find for my children and himself, I could not have found a better match. My children already love you and that will only become stronger.

My dearest Tom, The Captain of the Nathan James, so brave and smart, can sometimes be incredibly dense when it comes to personal relationships. Of course, as long as I was alive, he would be loyal to our marriage vows, until death do us part and probably beyond. I do know he loved me and still does. We had a wonderful marriage and two terrific children. He hasn't figured out how these feelings he has toward you happened; when he could still love me, therefore he doesn't call it love. For him, it does not compute that he could love both of us at the same time. In a sense, you worked so closely together, in extremely dangerous situations and you became best friends. He was duty bound to protect you and he did, but you also protected him. When it is a male/female best friends situation, love can follow. I want Tom to be happy and I know instinctively that he would be happy with you, Rachel. I hope you will take him, with my blessings. If I can leave here knowing that you will love him and my children, the way I would have loved them, then I can be at peace.

Rachel, will you tell me that you will do this for me?"

Rachel said, "Darien, I don't know if Tom loves me and though I love the children and yes, I am afraid I do love him, I don't think he will consider anything until he has time to morn you."

Darien looked into Rachel's eyes. "Give him time, Rachel. He truly loved me and it may take him a little time, but as long as he does not feel guilt for any feelings he may have felt for you, I think all will be well. I can tell you what I see in the future, as of this moment in time, if all goes the way it should from here forward. I see that you will marry Tom and you will have children of your own with him. I can see you at my daughter, Ashley's, wedding. She will marry Eric Hayden, Zack's son. Rachel, I must tell you this. Any of this can change if anyone, of their own free will, alters what is now showing as probable. If either you or Tom decides not to move forward with your relationship, then none of what I have told you may happen. It will still be your choice.

I want you to know a little bit about my dear Tom, Rachel. He is loyal to a fault and if you should ever marry him, you will never have to worry that he will find another woman. He is loyalty personified, but then you already know that."

She continued. "Though, he is one of the bravest men on the planet and would risk his life to save anyone else, he is a big baby when he gets sick. He likes to have his chest rubbed with Vicks, just like you would do with the children. He is very brave about the wounds of war. He does not complain about extreme pain. He does not get sick often. Generally, he won't admit to it. He occasionally will have a flashback to when he was tortured, but that does not happen very often. He was a Navy pilot before he took command of the Nathan James. He flew some of the most advanced aircraft on the planet. It was top secret and that is why he was in the Navy Intelligence as well, along with Zack. I now know what it involved but I cannot tell you about that. It is not out for everyone yet, but it may involve you very soon, if all goes according to the timeline I see here. Rachel, I know you love him, though you have never told him. Will you take him?"

Rachel had been digesting all that Darien had told her. "Darien, am I dreaming all of this? Are you really here, giving Tom to me, if I will take him? You know, he must ask me to marry him, if what you are saying is going to happen. He has to want me. He is very stubborn and he is also all about the no fraternization rules and especially his commitment to you and your marriage. If you can see all that you say you can, you know he has never made any overtures to me like that. He never would."

She said, "I know he has never been unfaithful to me and has never even thought of being unfaithful, but Rachel,you must make him rush that a bit. I don't want Zack asking you first, though I am sure that would make Cynthia very happy."

Rachel said, "Darien, I would certainly have something to say about that. I am not in love with Zack."

Darien said, "Rachel, I can see Zack is interested in you. You must make some kind of a physical commitment to Tom. I can't believe I am telling you to make love to my husband, but that is what it will take to make him see he needs to make a commitment to you and soon. I am here so that you will know what I want for him and my children and as long as you love him and want them, then I just want you to make it happen sooner than would be the norm. If he knows this is what I want for him, then, perhaps he will feel free to express his true feelings for you, the ones he has not let himself admit to having."

Rachel thought that this must be a dream, though Darien had told her certain things about Tom's past that she had not known. She would ask him if those were true. She could not tell Tom about this visit from Darien, unless it was somehow necessary.

If he knew that Darien wanted them to be together, maybe he would not hold any more guilt feelings and maybe he would forgo waiting for the standard mourning time, before they could be together. She was pretty sure, however that decorum would be something the Captain would be very strong about. Maybe it could be done in secret.

Darien said, "Rachel, I cannot stay here any longer. I only have so much time before I need to be back. I need to know. Will you try, Rachel? You will not be sorry. Tom will be a most wonderful husband for you and he will love your children as he loves mine. The Navy has plans for him, but you will be involved in those plans. He has become your best friend and even though you fight, you can base a marriage on that friendship as long as there is love."

Rachel looked at Darien. She looked so beautiful and she could see how Tom loved her and would miss her. She said"Darien, I give you my word that I will try. I want you to know that I do love him and I will do all in my power to let him know it, for your sake as well as my own. We have had many fights and disagreements. I know I am as stubborn as he is, almost. Don't worry. I love your children already. If I am to be at Ashley's wedding, I will let her know about this visit and how happy you were for them."

Darien said."I also want you to know that after tonight, I will not return. Don't worry about me watching over you when you do what I have asked. This is between you and Tom and belongs only to you. It will be the beginning of your new lives together. Now it is time that I leave you." She smiled as she touched Rachel on the forehead. Rachel felt a strong surge of power, a feeling of love, like she had never felt before and Darien melted away in front of her eyes. One moment she was as solid as anyone and the next, she was like the morning mist.

She knew she had to know that this had really happened and was not a dream. She would need to find out about Tom's background and see if what Darien had told her was true. Then she would believe.

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The Captain knew there was so much to get done today, that was absolutely sentential. He met with Dr. Rios and Thorwald regarding the dead of the Nathan James and of the Thorwald camp. The Captain let Thorwald know that he would like to have formal services for all of the dead, aboard the Nathan James with the full 21 gun salute. The only thing wasthat Thorwald's dead would not be buried at sea as in the Navy tradition. He could arrange for them to be taken to whatever burial arrangement they had for them. The Captain said that their families would be allowed to be on board for the ceremonies.

Thorwald agreed that this arrangement would be gratefully accepted and that it would be an honor to have the services held on board the Nathan James. This way both the Captain and Thorwald could speak of their appreciation of those who had given their lives for the preservation of their freedoms still left in this country. By this time, all of his people had been given the vaccine. Now, they would begin to give it to all of the people who they held in the safe zone and then to expand it. They had their jobs cut out for them.

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Later that day, Thorwald and a few of his men brought boxes of clothing that they had collected for the various civilians that the Captain had stipulated needed clothing on his ship. Thorwald personally brought suitcases with his daughter's clothing and any other items he thought Ashley might like. He even had some of her princess costumes and other Halloween costumes she had over the years for whatever they might want to do with them. Ashley and Sam were so excited over the games and books. He also brought school books that they had found in the schools and his daughter had a lot of adventure books. He also brought some of the old classics, like "Little Women." His wife, who had passed away a few years previously used to read this one to his daughter and she loved it.

He had even found baby things for Kara. This gave her such pleasure. Thorwald was the hero of the ship.

The services would be given tomorrow; they would have to move the ship out to sea enough so they could have the burials at sea. Then they would return to Baltimore harbor.

Thorwald's people who had been wounded, now that they were stable were being removed from sick bay and taken back to their homes in Baltimore.

The Captain told Ashley that he would like her to come with him for a visit to sickbay, to one of the heroes who had tried to save the people on the bridge when they came under attack. She agreed and he stopped off to see if Dr. Scott could come with them. She was planning to visit Quincy and his family anyway.

The three of them found Dr. Rios and the Captain asked if Quincy was up to visitors. He said that Dr. Hayden was checking on his status and would be out shortly. Zack came out from behind some patricians and he looked up from the clipboard he was making notes on. "Dr. Scott, Captain, good morning." He smiled broadly.

The Captain said, "Good morning Zack, How is our patient?"

Zack said. "He is coming along nicely, though he still in a good deal of pain. You may visit him if you don't stay too long."

The Captain said, "Zack, when will you be free to give me some time in the Wardroom? I think we have some things to discuss."

Zack nodded, "That we do, Captain. I can meet you in the wardroom in about 45 minutes, if that will be satisfactory."

The Captain nodded is acceptance. "That will be fine, Zack. Do we need to have Dr. Scott there?"

Zack said, "No, I need to speak with you alone, first. We may need to call her in later."

They went in to see Quincy, He was looking a bit grey in the face and in pain, but at least he was alive. The Captain gave Quincy his thanks for his heroic action and let him know how much his presence had meant to the Nathan James and her crew. The Captain put his hand on Quincy's arm and said, "Hang in there, Quincy. You still have a lot of living to do and we need you on the Nathan James."

This seemed to mean a great deal to Quincy and also to Kelly and to his daughter Ava.

The Captain introduced Ashley to Ava and told her that they had some good news about a surprise that he thought Ava would like to know about. He asked Kelly whether his daughter could borrow Ava for a little while because they had a surprise for her. Kelly gave her permission and the two girls left to go back to the Captain's Quarters to go through the treasure trove that Thorwald had brought for them.

The Captain stayed a few minutes more to speak with Kelly and make sure she was doing alright and then he left Dr. Scott and Kelly together. Dr. Scott asked Kelly if she would like to take a quick break and have some tea in the Wardroom. Kelly gratefully agreed.

After they had a chance to sit down at the table in the Wardroom, Dr. Scott placed her hand on Kelly's arm and asked her how things were going. Kelly looked extremely tired but she was so grateful her husband was alive. She said that she was really reassessing their marriage. She had been so rough on him after the Vyerni. It had been such a horrendous experience for her and Ava and she had blamed Quincy for the whole thing. She said she realized now that he had nothing to do with the fact that they were basically kidnapped and used as hostages so that Quincy would make sure Dr. Scott was turned over to the Russians. She just felt so unclean letting herself be used by the admiral, sexually. She said that she would have done anything, no matter how vile to save her daughter from being turned over to his crew. She said she now realized that Quincy had been in the same situation. He had been willing to do anything to save the two of them from death.

She said that she had felt he was weak and a coward, with the way he had tried to save them and had failed. But she never would have wanted to have Rachel turned over to the Russians to free them, either.

After what Quincy had done on the bridge, she realized how much she still loved him and she was resolved to give their marriage another chance if he survived.

Rachel told Kelly that she was so happy to hear that, because she knew how this was affecting Ava, She said that she had an idea that would give her a little more time alone. Rachel said now that the two girls had been introduced, she wondered if Ava would like to be roommates with the Captain's daughter. The two of them could share a stateroom with a bunk bed set up in it and they could become fast friends. She told Kelly about Thorwald's daughter and how he had given the two girls all of her things to share.

Kelly thought that was a great idea and this would be the start of getting having their own stateroom without Ava so that she and Quincy would have a chance to get their marriage back together.

Rachel had already suggested to Jed that he and Sam could share another stateroom so no one would have to sleep on the couch or try to share the Captain's bed. He had needed them there last night, but that bed was not big enough to sleep the two children and the Captain, who was a very large man, on a regular basis. The couch also was not big enough for Jed. Since they had some loss of life on the Nathan James, then the stateroom assignments would just have to be moved around.

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(Don't miss the next chapter. It involves just what the Navy has in mind for The Captain and the Nathan James) Zack does a reveal and the next part is pretty interesting to say the

Also Darien's conversation with Rachel is revealed to the Captain.

Thanks to MorningGlory 2 for her help in editing the chapter for me.

Thanks for all of your reviews and comments. They mean so much to me.


	20. Chapter 20 The Afternoon After Baltimor

Chapter 20, The Afternoon after Baltimore Part 2

Dr. Hayden was in the wardroom waiting for the Captain, when he walked in. He was already sitting with a cup of black coffee at the table. The Captain nodded a greeting to him and, after getting his own mug of coffee, settled down in a seat across from him.

The Captain took a deep breath and said, "Well Zack, you might as well spill it. I know I am not going to like the fact that I was lied to about this whole operation from the start, but you had better start at the beginning."

Zack looked at the Captain, He knew he was not going to like part of what he had to say, but he might like the other part. At least he hoped so. "Tom, you know that the Navy was very impressed with the work you did when you were flying our most sophisticated and advanced aircraft. Using antigravity propulsion was a totally new concept for us. Your propensity for languages gave you the ability to speak to every aerospace scientist who new anything about how to use this technology. Of course, you know the Russians wanted it also and knew something about it, but we actually made it work. You flew them and understood the technology like no one else. First of all, I personally wanted to let you know that the Navy was very pleased with what you were working on. You had experience using this technology in our own aircraft, but you were the only one who could fly it. When you were captured, they knew you were too valuable to be the only person who could fly them. After we got you back and you recovered, they ordered you to train other hand picked pilots. They then wanted you in a command position, but with the experience you had with that technology, you always worked alone. Now you had to learn to command 200 people and how to handle a ship."

Tom said, "If that is the case, then they lied to me when they told me they wanted me to now get command experience away from that aircraft. I thought they had given up on me in that respect, because I was working on expanding these aircraft capabilities. I thought they were ready to stop expanding on one of the most valuable discoveries we have ever made."

Zack said, "Tom, they were not lying to you. This was all part of the plan with the Island. I do not have the time to go into all of that now; you showed your value and your brains with this aircraft technology. The Navy wanted you to have that knowledge, but they also wanted you in a command position and that is why you were moved into the position of Captain of the Nathan James and were being very carefully monitored. I was chosen to decide who would man your ship as crew. If you read the files of every single person on this ship, you will find they were all top of their classes or had extreme abilities in one way or another. Many of them are absolutely brilliant. You have seen them in action when the ship lost power and ran out of water, among other situations. Seemingly impossible situations were solved. The leadership of that brain power and physical prowess was commanded by you and you demanded of them and they did not disappoint you. You, Captain, did not disappoint the Navy. "

Tom said." Oh, is that how I ended up with a Chess Master for a cook, who planned and carried out, under his command, the taking back of the Nathan James, without firing a single shot. This cook also just happens to be able to use some kind of Martial Arts form I have never even heard of, which resembles a Vulcan Spock move, which somehow really worked. You certainly did choose some incredible people, Zack. I just do not understand why they left me out of the loop. You even chose Mike to come on this mission."

Zack said, "That was all part of the plan, Tom. Then I became aware of the work of Dr. Scott. She is absolutely the best in the world in her field, though she is very young to have such knowledge. The Navy became aware of the virus and you and the Nathan James were chosen to host her work for a couple of reasons. You, yourself, are pretty damn brilliant and the Navy felt you could protect her and your crew. Whether you know it or not, you are extremely valuable and so many times I was told that if I let anything happen to you, it would be my head. As the virus got worse, we decided to move our most valuable Navy personal, who knew anything about the technology you knew about, to the Island. Dr. Scott found her cure. Now that Dr. Scott has found a cure for humans, they have another expanded job for her on the Island. Everyone on the Island needs the vaccine. It has been completely clean, because of what they are doing on the Island which has been going on for 10 years before the virus struck. They are fairly self-sufficient, which was what the purpose of being on the Island from the original concept, but now after the world is no longer the same, this Island is even more of value. They have a type of energy which needs to be expanded to certain other areas, but first they needed to be completely immune to outside influence.

What is left of the Navy Command was moved to the Island. There always was a Navy Command center there also connected to NASA. It is a totally clean area. I will let you know more about that later. The Navy needed to monitor Dr. Scott's progress and to know what you were doing as well. That is how I hooked up with her to keep track of her progress by Sat phone. I had orders to make sure your family was taken up to your father's cabin, which I did. I also brought plenty of food and supplies for them, but we had no idea the virus would spread so fast. Everything was beginning to break down. I had to get my own children out of Maryland and Virginia and the DC area. I got them to the Island and got my parents there to take care of them. Then Cynthia flew back to the Baltimore area. The area between Baltimore and your father's cabin were areas of chaos. I hoped your family would be alright. We got that video to the Pentagon so that it could be sent to you in an MPEG file. After the Russians attacked your ship, our SAT phone connections were broken with Dr. Scott. I was given orders to stay in Baltimore in a safe Zone. I was not to be in Uniform. I was to wait for the Nathan James to return to this area and to get you to listen to me so I could get you to the Island after Dr. Scott got the vaccine. I had verbal orders to under no circumstances leave Baltimore without you. I need to get you to the Island and they will give you your orders from there."

The Captain said. "What about the families of my crew? We need to try to find them. We need some of those aircraft. They don't have to use gasoline. We could travel to many areas of the US and other counties to get the vaccine to them. Do they have a place on that island to make the vaccine.?"

Zack said, "They do, but they might use a surrounding island. They have orders and purposes for every member of your crew, for that Island and they would find work for all family members we can find, on the way."

The Captain's mind was racing. "I could sure use one of those aircraft now. Then, I could fly to the Island and find out what my orders are and also how we can help them have immunity right away. You say they have power, but not the standard power? Zack, do you know if they have any of the aircraft I was flying on the Island?"

Zack said, "I would not be surprised if they did. They wanted you to have the knowledge of that technology. It was part of the plan. The power they have on the Island is self sustaining, power. They manufacture their own clothing, grow their own food. They have their own oxygen supplies. They also have their own medical facility, using advanced quantum physics, which we have been using for years and which I am trained in. It was not enough to make a cure of this virus, but it can cure many others things and diagnose from a scan of the body. We also use frequencies to cure. I will let you know more about this as we have more time to speak of it. It was that technology which saved your life after you were brought back on the transport by the Navy Seals who extracted you after you were captured. It also worked on the trauma you suffered after you were tortured. I was there, as your doctor for the worst part of it, but you do not have a memory of it. They took you to the island, but you were later moved to a regular naval hospital when you were strong enough, so you could be close to your family. The technology was still being used on you at a distance, everyday of your recovery. That is why you have no visible injuries. This is the type of medicine, NASA has used for years on the Astronauts when they were in space. It is how we treat them if they get a cold or flu in space. The same technology was used on the Miners who were trapped underground for weeks, in South America. As long as we have something that connects the doctor's computer to the person they are treating, it can find them anywhere in the world or even in space and treat them. Amazing, isn't it? It can be a photograph or even if the person who is operating the computer has met them before. Once the computer has treated them once, it can always find them and treat them, if they need to be treated. Einstein even knew about this type of medicine. It is not new, but a little hard for the regular mind to comprehend. It treats by frequency. Every disease has a frequency and every cure also. It would be interesting to see if Dr. Scott could find the frequency to the cure for this virus and it could be added to the database."

The Captain had heard they were using this type of technology at NASA, but he had never seen it up close and never knew it had been used on him practically everyday he was recuperating from being captured back then. He did not know that Zack had been operating the machine that was treating him. He did not know his friend had literally saved his life and had also lessened his trauma from the torture he had endured. Zack could have told him, but he knew the Captain was angry about all the secrets and he did not want him to think he was keeping more from him.

After their discussion, The Captain invited Zack to come up to the Bridge so he could meet some of the people he had personally chosen for the ship. Zack eagerly agreed.

XXXXXXX

Commander Hayden was escorted up to the bridge by the Captain and was being shown around. Dr. Scott was also on the Bridge. People needed to know she was okay as well as Alisha, who was still recovering. The Captain had told Alisha she could come up for limited duty. She was still a bit shaky and much traumatized by the fact that the terrible criminal government had been headed by her own mother, who had also ordered her torture, along with Rachel.

Zack was recognizing everyone on the bridge, since he had personally chosen each and every one of them for this mission. Then his eyes rested on Alisha. He did not recognize her at all. _How could that be?_ he wondered. Maybe Tom had brought her aboard as he had Beatrice, but she was in Navy uniform and an officer at that. She turned slightly toward him and he saw the name on her BDU jacket. "Granderson? A vision of his wife, Cynthia lying dead at his feet, after being murdered by Amy Granderson's death squads, hit him squarely in his chest. He could hardly breathe. He gritted his teeth as he growled "Are you any relation to that monster, Amy Granderson? God Damn her to Hell. She killed my wife, Cynthia!" He stepped up to Alisha, ready to take her by the arms, "I asked you a question, Lieutenant!"

That did it. Rachel flew at him with all of her fury. She slapped Zack right across the face with all the force she could muster. Her open hand print showed clearly on his cheek. At the same instant, Captain Chandler, seeing what was happening, quickly stepped up behind his friend and pinned his arms at his sides, pulling him away from Alisha. He shouted, " COMMANDER ! STAND DOWN!"

Rachel followed him as the Captain dragged him back from Alisha. She screamed at him, "Commander Hayden, How dare you speak to Lt. Granderson in that manner? This is Alisha, the other officer who was tortured, along with me at the lab."

Alisha had burst into tears and Commander Slattery caught her as she started to fall to the floor. He gently lowered her to her seat at the computer.

The Captain said into Zack's ear, " God Damn it, Zack, I know you just lost Cynthia, but that is no excuse for attacking one of my officers, one who, by the way, has been through hell over the last two days. She is completely innocent of anything Amy Granderson did. She has been here, on this ship, since we started this mission. Pull yourself together man! Zack, are you in control of yourself, now?"

Zack, his head down, nodded his head in answer to the Captain's question. He was standing there in complete embarrassed silence, with the imprint of Rachel's hand clearly showing on his handsome face, still being held with his arms restrained by the Captain. He did not know what had come over him. He had never done anything like that in his life, but he had never had his wife murdered like this either. It had been two months, but at the moment he saw the name, "Granderson", it was as though it had just happened. The tears stung his eyes and his throat ached in reaction. He said to the Captain, his voice full of regret for his actions, "I'm…I'm… okay, now…Tom."

The Captain released his grip on Zack's arms. Zack turned to face the Captain, his handsome face full of shame. Rachel was standing next to the Captain, as Zack said "God, I'm supposed to be a doctor. I don't know what came over me. Oh my God, Rachel. She was with you? She was tortured too? The trauma she must have suffered from that alone and I had to add to it. What can I ever say to her?" He said to the Captain, "Tom would you please, at least, let me apologize to her?"

The Captain looked doubtful, but he said, "Rachel, please check on Lt. Granderson and tell her that Commander Hayden wishes to apologize to her for his words and actions. If she would rather not, don't force her."

She returned in a minute and said that Alisha said he could come over to her.

Zack approached Alisha, with his head down. When he reached where she was sitting, she started to rise. He said, quickly, "No, please, no need to rise, Lt. Granderson…. Alisha."

He looked down at her with complete sympathy and sincerity in his blue-green eyes, now that color because of the tears that had threatened to appear from the emotion he was now feeling as he spoke to her from his heart, with complete honesty. " Alisha, I hope you will accept my sincere apology for the things I said. There is no excuse for my behavior. I hope you can forgive me for my complete and total disregard for what you have been through, over the last two days." He looked into Alisha's troubled and tearful eyes and felt even worse as he saw the results of how he had just added to her trauma."

He said to the Captain, "My apologies Captain. With your permission, I will take my leave now."

The Captain nodded.

Zack looked at Rachel before he left. She noticed how stunning the color of his eyes were, almost turquoise now because of his emotion. His handsome face still showed clearly the mark of her handprint on his skin. "Rachel, I am so sorry. I have only made things worse for Alisha, God forgive me."

Rachel could not help herself. She could see the pain that Zack was feeling also. She knew he would normally never have reacted like this. She had met Cynthia and the thought of Granderson's thugs killing her must have had a terrible t traumatic effect on Zach's own emotions. It seemed no one who had gone through the kind of things all of them had gone through went unscathed. Her heart went out to Zack, as well as to Alisha.

Rachel reached out to touch his arm as he started to leave and she said, "Zack, I know you didn't realize what you were doing, but I had no choice. I had to slap you. I had to do something to bring you to your senses."

Zach said, "Rachel, it did snap me out of what I was doing and for that I thank you. I just hope we can help undo some of the trauma that poor young officer has endured, though I doubt if she would ever trust me." He placed his hand over Rachel's hand where she had laid it on his arm. "I'm sorry, Rachel. "

He then left the bridge after nodding to Captain Chandler, who was eyeing every move that Rachel had just made toward Zack. He didn't even realize he was frowning. He just could not stand it when Rachel touched Zack and even worse when he touched her back. On one level, he also felt sympathy for Zack's loss. God knows he understood, but he could not help himself. He knew he didn't have any claim on Rachel, but somehow, he felt, on some level, Rachel was his and only his. He wondered what Darien had said to Rachel. He needed to know.

Mike was standing a few steps away and had heard the whole exchange. He certainly saw the reaction of the Captain and watched him watch Rachel's reaction to Zack's emotional exchange. He knew the Captain was not happy about that, but the Captain was in no position to say a thing about it.

Lt. Granderson walked over to the Captain and asked if she could be excused from the Bridge, that there was something she needed to do. The Captain immediately released her. She was only to be on reduced work load, anyway, until she recovered her strength.

XXXXX

Zack had returned to the sick bay and made rounds, feeling like a complete fool and knowing that he had increased Alisha's trauma. He was really upset with himself. His face still stung from the slap Rachel had given him. He was near the lab door, when he heard a knock. He opened the door and was face to face with Alisha. He stood there in the doorway.

He said softly, "Alisha, are you alright? Do you need medical attention?"

She looked at him and burst into hysterical tears. She said "I am so sorry that my mother killed your wife, Dr. Hayden. I would give my life if I could bring her back. I would give my life if I could bring them all back. I can't believe she was my mother."

He could not help himself as she ran right into his arms and he embraced Alisha like the lost child she was and let her cry into his shoulder. He had caused this reaction. She was not only having the trauma of the torture, but was having guilty feelings because she was related to Amy Granderson, a mass murderer. He said, "No, No, Alisha. Listen to me. You have no guilt for what your mother did. You are completely innocent of it. I know you didn't have anything to do with my wife's death."

She sobbed, "Dr. Scott shouldn't have slapped you. Oh, I am so sorry about your wife. You couldn't help it, what you said. But I hold myself responsible, because she was my blood."

He spoke in soft and measured soothing tones to her. Saying over and over, "It is alright, Alisha. Everything will be alright. You are not to blame for what your mother did. You must never believe that you have any guilt at all. Just let that go away from your mind. This is your family now and you are loved on this ship, never forget that. That is not your guilt. You did everything you could to protect Rachel and the Captain, I heard how heroic you were, though God forgive me, I did not know that you were the other young female officer who was tortured with Rachel. I hope you can forgive me my emotional outburst which was not based on anything which was correct. I hope you will let me help you to get past this trauma in your life."

He just held her and comforted her. He was careful to hold her gently because she had similar burns as Rachel had. He knew she needed to be held more than anything else and to be told that she was not to blame for anything her mother did. She needed the human touch, which as a member of the military on this ship, she probably was really missing.

He could see that she needed to get this out. She was still crying into his shoulder. This was as much of a trauma as the torture. He also knew instinctively, that she being in the military felt that she had to be strong and could not ask for help. When she and Rachel were tortured, she had to be the strong one. Yes, she was carried through the tunnel, per the Captain's orders, but not by someone who cared about what she had been through. The Captain clearly cared about Dr. Scott, but she was just another military officer and she had to be strong. She so needed someone to hold her, someone to comfort her. She needed the human touch, to be able to cry. She had seen the pain in Zack's eyes as he was remembering how his wife was murdered and she just had to poor out her sorrow at the atrocities her mother had committed. He kept speaking to her in soothing tones and saying to let those thoughts come out and move them away from her because they no longer were part of her. After a while, her crying became less frantic and finally he could feel that she was calm. He told her that he wanted to give her something soothing so she could sleep. He said it was not a sedative, but would help her stay relaxed.

He told her that he could help her get rid of the trauma from the torture and also anything left over from the guilt she was feeling, if she could find a couple of hours during the week to come to the lab, so they could talk things out. He told her that once she started being able to handle what had happened, then she would be in a position to help other people who will have experienced trauma. He asked her if she would mind taking on that roll, after she learned how to handle what she'd been through. She looked so much better, because Dr Hayden was telling her she would not always be living in this hell, that she could get past it and could actually help other people. It almost gave her a reason to stay alive.

He said, "Alisha, you are already of great value to this crew. The Captain told me so. This will only enhance your value. You fought for the Captain and Rachel. You are considered a hero on this ship. No one thinks of you as having any part in what your mother did. You are part of this ship and the family you have here on the Nathan James."

She stopped her crying. She said, "Do you really think so, Dr. Hayden? Can I ever be free of this guilt?"

He said, "Of course you can. I will help you. Do you think you could come down to the lab area a couple of times a week? I know you would be an asset and what you learn you can help yourself with. You let me know what time would be good for you, okay?"

Zack added, "Do you think you can make it back to your quarters or would you like me to walk you back there? "

She smiled and said that she would be fine, now.

He really did have the training that would help her and he could use her to speak with other traumatized people. It would give her a way to use her experience to help herself get through what she was going through, but also give her an incentive to have another reason to live. She had almost seemed suicidal; maybe he could help her, if she could trust him and maybe if he could help her get through this. He certainly hoped he could help to undo some of the damage he had caused. He closed the lab door behind him.

XXXX

Rachel went to the wardroom to get herself a cup of tea. She thought she was all alone, when she heard a movement and saw Tom sitting at the far end of the table, a mug of coffee in his hand.

He was sitting there taking in her beauty, just silently watching her and thinking that he had no right to claim her as his own.

Rachel saw the sadness in his eyes and knew he was having conflicting emotions. His piercing blues were locked on her eyes and she could not take her eyes of his handsome face. She went to him and sat down next to him, placing her hand over his.

She said, "You want to know what Darien said, don't you, Tom."

He looked straight into her eyes and nodded once.

Rachel said, "Before I start, I must ask you a few questions, so I know I was not dreaming, when I had the conversation with your Darien."

He looked at her waiting for her questions.

She said, "Were you a Navy Pilot before you became Captain of the Nathan James?"

He nodded, without saying a word.

She said "Were you tortured when you were a pilot, Tom? Is that how you knew I would have a delayed reaction to the trauma?"

Again, he just nodded.

Rachel took a deep breath and began. "Tom, Darien came to me because she said, when people die, they can suddenly see everything, the Past, Present and Future. They can see into the hearts and minds of the people left behind. She said she had seen everything that happened since you left her in Norfolk. She saw how you were willing to lay down your life to make sure Bertrice got to me. She saw you captured by the Russians. She saw how I went to the Russian ship to keep you from being tortured. She saw the passing of the note in the kiss. She knew that you were doing your duty to protect me and that I was trying to save you and Tex, She saw how we each protected the other and she understood how that happened with the close friendship that developed between us with you protecting me and me depending on you through all that it took to find the cure. She knew how hard you tried to get back to her and the children before it was too late, but she also knew the reasons that you could not come back to them earlier. She understood that you could not have done anything differently. She wanted me to tell you that she knew that at no time did you ever betray her, nor did I try to get you to betray your marriage. She wanted to make sure that you would choose the right person to marry and she felt you and I would be the perfect match.

I told her that you had never, at any time, expressed anything but friendship for me. She said that she knew this, but that friendship could turn into love and that is what she felt it would do with us, if we let it. She told me she loved you with all her heart. She wanted to know when she left you and the children, that she would be leaving you in the hands of someone who would love you and them as she would have herself. She knew that if she had survived, you'd still be together. She said that, since she did not survive, she would only have peace if you chose the person she had chosen for you. She said the children already depended on me and that would turn to love from them, soon. She told me that she could see our future on its present time line. She saw us together and with children of our own and she said you would love our children as you loved Ashley and Sam. She was happy about all of that, but she said that the future could change because of free will on either of our parts. Everything could be different if either of us chose not to move forward with our relationship. She said if either of us decided not to go forward with our love for one another that it could all happen another way and we might never be together. She was worried about that. She actually wanted me to be with you as soon as possible so you would know I would wait for you."

Tom said, "What did you tell her, Rachel?"

Rachel said, "I told her that you had never made any overtures to me and that you would have to ask me to marry you or to make a commitment to me. I told her that decorum would probably rule with you and that I could not make that happen without your cooperation."

Tom looked down. "It is not so easy to accept that my wife, who I dearly love and who just died is ready to hand me over to another woman who she has chosen for me. Even if that woman is my best friend, who I would gladly give my life for. A woman, who I have had to hold myself back from loving, because of that very love of my wife. I love Darien so much. I will always love her, Rachel, though it seems she is more than ready to give me up."

She saw the hurt in his eyes as he thought of Darien being so ready to let him go.

Rachel said, "Tom, it was not like that. Darien told me that she loved you and would always love you. She knew you would always love her and hold her in that special place in your heart, as will her children. Just because you have the capacity to love again, does not mean that you love her any less. She will always be a part of you and the love and the life you lived will always be part of what makes you the man you are. I have met Darien and I could see the love she has for you and for her children. Tom, it was the most amazing thing, because I also saw and felt the tremendous love she has for me as a part of the new family she wanted you to create, which includes the love we both have for Ashley and Sam. She was seeing our future and she was at peace because all of those she left behind, she knew would be loved and cherished."

He reached out and took her hand in both of his.

He looked at Rachel with that soft, sweet smile she had seen a couple of times on his lips. "Do you think our friendship could become love, Rachel?"

Rachel "Tom, I know it, if you give it a chance. Do you think you could love me, Tom?"

He looked deeply into her eyes, drinking in her beautiful lips, her hair. He knew how much he wanted to kiss her lips. He raised his hands to either side of her head and he tilted her head up and kissed her lips gently as it were their first kiss. It was their first kiss of their new life. The passion he felt growing within him for her would be there for their next kiss, he knew that for he could feel it within Rachel as well. He could feel the fire in his belly, but he knew this was not the time.

When they finished, he said to her, "Rachel, will you wait for me? I am not really free yet to do what I would like to do, and then there is my crew. I need a little more time."

Rachel said, "Tom, I will wait for you. You are the only man for me and don't you ever forget that. I don't want things to end up being different. However long it takes you, Tom, I will wait."

Tom said, " Rachel, I know you care about Zack. I saw you touch him today. I didn't like it."

She said, "Why, Captain, are you jealous?

He said, "Yes, Dr. Scott. I am very jealous. Don't do it again."

She taunted, "If that is true, Captain, then you will have to lay claim to me. Are you willing to do that, Captain?"

The intensity of his blue eyes was breathtaking, as he put a finger under her chin and turned it up to him. He kissed her lightly on the lips and said, "Soon enough, Dr. Scott, soon, enough and don't you ever forget that!"

XXXX

Hope you liked this chapter. Please drop me a line in a review. I can't tell you how much that means to me. It is the only way we know if we are getting through and are going in the right direction.

Thanks to MorningGlory2 for her thoughtful input and editing skills.


	21. Chapter 21 Goodbye Baltimore-Hello Panam

*******Note: I posted this Chapter within 2 days of Chapter 20, The Afternoon after Baltimore Part 2 Some of you may not have read chapter 20 yet. Be sure you do so before reading Chapter 21. It contains what Zack tells Tom about what the Navy is expecting of him and the Nathan James and also the conversation that Rachel has with Tom about what Darien said to her about their relationship. It is a pivotal chapter to understand what is happening from here on out.

Chapter 21 Goodbye Baltimore- Hello Panama

Over the next few days, Captain Chandler and the crew of the Nathan James had to deal with the services for those who had died in action to defend the ship against the forces of Amy Granderson and this was not easy for any of them. Thorwald's people were also included. The memorial for Darien was also performed in the ships Chapel with her immediate family and those who had known her, which included Mike, Zack, Rachel and the Chandler Family. The Captain had a picture of her from his office. Rachel, Tom and Jed comforted the children. It was not an easy thing for any of them to say goodbye. The crew also went one by one to extend their condolences to the Captain.

Rachel had been taking the time to check on the children and Jed at least twice a day. It had not been that long since they had the virus and they still needed to rest. Rachel herself needed to rest and to take care of the burns on her body, as well as Alisha's.

Alisha was still on limited duty and had found a time to come to sickbay to meet with Dr. Hayden, who was working with her on clearing her feelings of guilt about her mother.

Zack was also working on both Alisha and Rachel with the frequency technology which had helped the Captain recover both physically and mentally from the trauma of his torture. It helped to heal their burns much faster and there was no scaring. This technology also works on the brain and emotions which were effected by the torture that Rachel and Alisha went through.

When Zack tried to explain to Rachel what he was doing on the computer, she tried to take it in. He showed her the basics, but it would take more training to really get her up to speed to use it. Rachel seemed a bit preoccupied, which Zack knew was normal considering the trauma she had suffered.

After the Captain had tied up loose ends with Thorwald and they had worked on some way for them to get more vaccines to him, Thorwald spoke to Rachel privately and took her hand. He told her that he had the greatest respect for her and he certainly wished she would stay with them in Baltimore and he would find a place for her to make the vaccine. He told the Captain of this suggestion, but the Captain let him know that he had new orders from the Navy, that Dr. Scott was needed in another location and that they would have a location for her to make the vaccine there. He also told him that he hoped that they would have a way to fly vaccine back to Baltimore shortly and that he was very interested in helping Thorwald expand his safe zone there. As it was, Thorwald had been invaluable to him and the Nathan James, by letting them know where the stores of fuel for the Nathan James and the helicopters were stored. They also had food and other medical supplies for the ship, not to mention all of the stores that Granderson had for all of her forces. Thorwald was very generous to the Captain.

Thorwald kissed Rachel's hand as acknowledgement to the fact that he was also attracted to her. He brought flowers to her as well. He told her that should she ever want to return to Baltimore, he would personally invite her to have a land base there for any medical work she would like to do. He said he would also like to personally give her the royal treatment, should she decide to return.

Captain Chandler watched all of this with a frown, but again, he could not be impolite to Thorwald, who had shown his loyalty to him and his family. The Captain could not blame any man for wanting Rachel, but he did not have to like it.

Rachel was very gracious and thanked him for all he had done for the Nathan James and the children of the Captain. She explained that her duty was to the Nathan James and she also had orders to complete her mission with them.

Thorwald nodded his disappointment and took his leave, telling them that he would be looking forward to their return and if ever there was anything he and his people could do to assist them, to let him know.

XXXX

The Captain also took this time to have an official ceremony, in front of the assembled crew of the Nathan James. This was to give a battlefield commission to Bacon so that he would be elevated to the rank of Lieutenant due to his outstanding service to the Nathan James and it's crew in the planning and commanding the operation of taking back the Nathan James from Granderson's men and capturing the invaders without the firing of one shot. The captain also stated that it was the wish of this new Lieutenant that he keep his job as the Cook. The Captain stated that he would only approve of him staying in that position, if he would take his place in time of need, as part of his tactical team and would report to him, when called upon; with the rank of Lieutenant at whatever time the Captain was in need of his expertise. Bacon agreed to accept the battlefield commission under those circumstances. All of the assembled crew members cheered and clapped. The Captain gave him his insignias for his uniform, officially making him an officer. Bacon stood at attention as he accepted this from the Captain, with his sincere appreciation.

XXXX

The Captain saw very little of Rachel during these few days, though she was with his children and father in his quarters at least 2 times a day. He did drop by sickbay a couple of times, but she was usually busy with those still healing from Baltimore and working in her lab to make sure the vaccine cultures were continuing to grow. Dr. Hayden and Rios were helping, though Zack was also working on Rachel and Lt. Granderson with the frequency technology. Rios made Rachel get at least a short nap in order to give her a chance to recover sooner. They gave each other a brief hello when they were in the wardroom, but it was like ships passing in the night. They both were so busy getting ready to get underway, which they finally accomplished. The Nathan James left the Baltimore harbor with Thorwald's people giving them a big send-off.

All of the crew were lined up in their dress whites in honor of Thorwald's men who had fought for them, many of whom had given their lives in the effort. Both The Captain and Commander Hayden were saying a final goodbye to their wives as well. It was an emotional moment for everyone.

XXX

Now the Captain needed to get some of the vaccine to various locations on the East Coast but needed to be heading south. Thorwald had told them of a safe haven off the Florida Keys. They did manage to get there safely and make contact with Thorwald's people. The Crew tried to reach other family members and they were able to pick up a few, but he told those who had not made contact that they would come back, possibly with aircraft and more of the vaccine as soon as they could find a land base where more could be made.

They next needed to check out some of the ships near Panama. Zack told the Captain that he had been given coordinates for radio with a so-called safe area there in the jungles, but they knew of where to get more gasoline and he hoped it would be enough to get his ship to the Island in the South Pacific where Zack said was the location of the Navy command.

They were able to locate, by radio, the base in Panama and to arrange for a RHIB to get into the jungle area. The Captain would not give permission for Rachel to go on the mission, but Zack stepped in and said he would go in with the Seal team, with the vaccine. The operation went smoothly at first and Zack was able to get enough vaccine to the safe area to cover all of their people, plus some extra for who they could inoculate in the surrounding area. In return, this group led them to another Ttanker which had been stranded due to the crew contracting the virus. The Nathan James had gone to the ship and was refueling and picking up the few things aboard, like fuses etc. that they could use.

Zack spent a good part of the day giving injections at a tent which had been set up in the village. After this was done, the villagers invited them to have a late lunch. On the pathway back to the meeting place where they would return to the ship, Zack had leaned up to a tall jungle tree to get some water from his canteen. Suddenly he felt a stabbing pain in his upper right thigh area. He yelled and struck the huge hairy spider that had crawled up his pant leg and had bitten him when he moved his leg. One of the seals killed the spider which was a big as a man's hand. One of the villagers pointed at the spider shaking his head. He said "Very Bad, Very Bad. Doctor be very sick," He pointed at Zack.

The villager ran back to the village and brought some kind of herb or leaf. It was wrapped in a cloth. He said," Boil this and make a tea, a very strong tea. Drink it every 2 hours. This spider is bad. We are so sorry." Zack asked the villager what kind of a spider it was, but the villager didn't have a word for it in English. The villager looked very grave and shook his head. Zack did not like this one bit and he was beginning to feel very dizzy and his leg was extremely painful. Danny saw that the Commander was starting to be unable to stand up straight. He asked Zack if he would like to sit down and that they would radio the ship and see if they could get the Helicopter. Zack had slumped to the ground and was no longer coherent. Danny made the call. He gave the bridge the coordinates and the helicopter was above them in about 30 minutes. They had to put the Commander in a sling dropped from the helicopter and they got him onboard. Danny and Burk were also lifted into the helicopter by sling. The bridge had been notified that Commander Hayden had been bitten by a spider and was dangerously ill.

Rachel told Dr. Rios, who was in another area of the ship, that she would handle this. She had worked in the jungle before. She had some experience in spider bites. When the helicopter landed on the deck of the Nathan James, the medical team transferred the Commander to a stretcher and he was taken immediately to sick bay. Danny and Burk lifted Zack onto the examination table and stood back as Rachel asked them where he had been bitten.

Danny told Rachel that Zack had been bitten on the right upper thigh. She started to unbuckle his belt, then she told Danny to get his pants off and she started unbuttoning his BDU jacket. Burk helped her get this off of him and got his T-Shirt off so she could check his heart rate. It was erratic and he was burning up with fever. She pushed up the leg of his boxer shorts and could see the distance between the two puncture wounds which showed her that it had been a very large spider that had pumped the venom into his leg. She asked to see the remains of the spider. She did not recognize it at all. They handed her the greens that the villagers had sent and Danny told her what they had told them to do with the tea. She told Burk to get her a pan and they would see about making the tea. She could tell this was very bad. She had no idea what she could do for him, except to try to get his temperature down. She told Bertrice to go to the galley and get her as much ice as they could spare. She looked at Zack and he was not coherent at all. She'd gotten his boxers off and she covered his privates with a sheet, but had to try to do as much as she could at the site of the bite, which was high on his thigh. She got disinfectant and bathed the area. At this point Commander Chandler arrived on the scene and took one look at the condition of Zack and said to Rachel, "How is he? For God's sake, what happened?" He could see the large discolored place on his leg and the remains of the spider.

Bertrice arrived with ice. Rachel said, "Captain, get me that towel and wet it." Tom did exactly as she said and brought it back to her. She put her hand to Zack's temple and said, "He is burning up. I have to get his temperature down." She took the towel from Tom, put several pieces of ice in it. She started mopping his forehead with it. Tom got another towel, wet it and put ice in it. He gave it to Rachel and she started bathing Zack's chest with it. Zack reacted violently to the cold being applied to his body. The Captain had to grab one of his arms as Zack tried to stop what was being done by Rachel. His arm would have knocked her over with the force. Zack was yelling in his delirium, fighting the cold, "Cynthia…. Cynthia…..no, it is so cold, No, don't do that! Cyn…please." Rachel asked the Captain and Danny to hold Zack down, while she attached the restraints to his wrists.

Tom tried to talk to him, since he was holding one of his shoulders to the table. " Zack, easy now….. You are going to be alright…. Dr. Scott has to get your temperature down….. Easy now." She got restraints on his hands on both sides. She would now be able to get the iced towel applied to his chest and to the wound itself, without interference from him. She knew if it had not been for the Captain and Danny, she would not have been able to treat him. He was too strong for her. After Zack was restrained, Rachel put ice on the bite. Zack yelled out in pain. He yelled "Cynthia... No! God Damn it!"

Rachel was very worried. She had no idea how to treat him, except with the tea. Then she suddenly remembered the advanced technology that Zack had been working on with her or at least trying to explain to her. She knew now, this might be the only chance she had to save him. Rachel started trying to speak to him. She said "Zack…., Zack … Can you hear me? It is Rachel. Open your eyes, Zack." She tapped his cheeks and bathed his face with the ice water.

Zack said, "…Cynthia?" His eyes blinked open and she could see how disoriented he looked. She knew she had to get him conscious.

Rachel said, "No Zack... This is Rachel… Now stay with me Zack….Listen to me! Zack. I need to know how to use the Frequency Treatment computer…. Your scanner Zack! Zack! Focus….stay with me. This is Rachel…"

She tapped his face, sharply, on both sides at once.

Zack blinked and opened his eyes, breathing very fast. "Rachel? I'm so cold … Rachel… the spider… my...leg."

Yes Zack., I know it hurts, but I need your help … Does the frequency machine have the capability to scan for spider bites? Zack! Don't you dare go out on me…. now stay with me!" She screamed at him, slapping his cheek sharply, again...

He blinked and said "Yes, spider bite…. Scanner … SEARCH spider bite"

She said "Zack, can it treat the spider bite?"

He said breathlessly, obviously in pain, "Yes….. My computer…..Rachel."

Bertrice ran and brought his laptop and opened it. She turned it on.

Rachel kept tapping Zack's face to keep him conscious. She said "tell me what to do Zack, Do you hear me… Zack! Now focus! ….. Zack!"

He said breathlessly, "Rachel…... NAME box, drop down to… my name, ..Zack… top box,"

The Captain took over from Bertrice. He found the NAME box and hit the drop down arrow. He saw a whole list of names, his own, Rachel, Tophet. Alisha Cynthia, Darien, his children, Zack's Children, Mike, Mike's family and many more until he scrolled down to the name "Zack", near the bottom. He clicked that name into the box. He yelled at Rachel, "Okay, his name is in the box."

She said "We have your name in the box, Zack…. Don't you fall asleep on me." She smacked his face.

His eyes opened again. He said "SEARCH box….. Type….spider bite. Then, hit SCAN button."

Tom did as Zack said and 5 types of spiders came up, but 3 of them were the same Tom told Rachel what came up. She told Zack and he said "Now, click TREAT button."

The computer started calculating. The Captain yelled out, "It rectified to 62%."

Rachel was having trouble keeping Zack conscious. She was slapping his face again to get his attention. "Zack, stay with me, it rectified to 62%"

He said, "No, must be over 100%. Keep hitting TREAT button until over 100%."

The Captain kept hitting the TREAT button, It went to 72%, then 42%, then 80% and finally to 109%. Tom yelled to Rachel. "It went to 109%, now what?"

Rachel said, "Zack...… Zack… It went to 109%, you are doing it. What do we do now?"

Zack said, "Repeat. Hit SCAN… button… again. It will give you 5 new items, Treat until it goes to over 100%. …..Keep …repeating ….. SCAN …TREAT….. First 109% …neutralized … spider venom. Next …. Treats... damage done by … venom. Rachel, water, please… water…. Need…. hydration, intravenously…. and to drink. Toxins have to come out as treatment….continues."

Rachel told Bertrice to bring her a glass of water with a straw. She held the straw to Zack's lips and he drank gulps of water, as she lifted his head up.

Rachel said "How long do we do this Zack?"

He said "Until… all functions ….normal."

He then passed out, but his heart rate was sounding better She took his temperature and though it was still high, it was going down gradually. She knew they had the upper hand. She gave a sigh of relief. She looked down at Zack's body. Fortunately he was a very healthy man, in top physical condition. She checked below the sheet to check on the bite and could see that a great deal of the dark redness was calming down, though she knew that it would take some time before it would go back to normal. She pulled the sheet up to cover his muscular chest. His hands were still restrained, but she would take off his restraints later, after she was sure his temperature would not spike up again. She pulled the bottom part of the sheet down covering his legs. She placed her hand on his forehead and could tell he was much better.

She said, "Boy, that was close."

She looked up at the three men standing there and Bertice. She told Danny and Burk that they had done a good job and she told Bertrice to watch Dr. Hayden for a few minutes while she spoke to the Captain,

Tom had turned the computer back to Dr. Rios when he came back a few minutes before. He had heard what Zack said needed to be done. The Captain had been involved directly form start to finish and had helped Rachel, where he could. Zack was one of his crew and his friend and he had been as fearful as Rachel when he'd seen him at first. The Captain knew that if they had not had Zack's advance medical device that he probably would have died, unless they had any luck with the tea. He had wished that Rios had treated Zack, but he knew Rios would not even have thought to force Zack to stay awake so he could use that technology. It had saved Zack's life. The Captain also realized that this technology had saved his own life when Zack had used it on him at an earlier time. He also realized that Zack was using this technology on Rachel and Alisha, and also Dr. Tophet. He had to admit after seeing it in action, he was very impressed. The more he had treated Zack, the better his condition was getting.

Rachel took the Captain aside, after Danny and Burke had left "Tom, thank you so much for helping me with him. No one with a high fever likes to have ice put on them. I could not have handled him alone."

Tom looked deep into her eyes. "Rachel, you found a way to save his life. I know if Rios had been taking care of him, he would have died. Rios would not have even thought of the high tech frequency machine. He certainly would not have kept slapping Zack awake until he gave him the information on how to use it." He just shook his head "You are the most amazing woman I have ever met, Dr. Rachel Scott."

Rachel put her hand on his arm saying that she had missed seeing him the last couple of days. She said perhaps they could make a time that they both knew to be some place like the wardroom or his quarters. He nodded and smiled. It was good to know; even as busy as she was, she had missed him. He certainly had missed her. He suggested that they meet at 2030 at the wardroom. He said, "If someone is there, we will sit and have tea and coffee until they leave." She smiled up at him and they parted company until later.

Rachel returned to Zack. She got a couple of crew members to move Zack to a bed in the sickbay so she could take care of him easier. She started treating him more thoroughly on his laptop. She could see him getting better, as his numbers were changing on the scans. This type of medicine was fascinating to her and she could see Zack getting better and better. He still needed to recover, but it was exciting to see how much better he was, as she worked on him. She needed to know more about this technology for sure. She had never seen anything like it. She also wondered what the treatments that he had been giving her and Alisha was doing. She realized her burns were going away and there were no marks on her skin. She also felt not so fearful and shaky, as if some of the trauma was wearing off. She needed to ask him about that. She felt not so tired. In fact, she felt more energy. She actually felt good. Alisha looked much better as well.

It made her realize that she had a whole arsenal of information she could get. This could tell her what type of virus someone had or if they had viral or a bacterial infection and then how to treat it. It could tell her if a particular organ was the problem or if someone was pregnant. It had most of the known diseases like Pneumonia, Ebola Diabetes, all kinds of Cancers, Allergies, and Autoimmune Diseases. There were thousands of things in the data bases. She really needed to work with Zack and learn as much as she could, once he was recovered. She knew they could do so much more, even though they did not have some of the medicines they needed. They had many frequencies for those medicines which she could use to treat things.

She could not wait for Zack to regain consciousness, so she could ply him with questions.

She went over to his bed and touched his forehead and his temperature was still high, but he was no longer delirious. When she touched him, he opened his green eyes, which were bright with fever, but he was conscious. He smiled and said, "Rachel, I want to thank you for saving my life. That spider venom would have killed me, without your intervention. All I remember is you kept slapping the hell out of me."

Rachel said softly," Zack, I am sorry I had to slap you so many times, but I had to keep you awake and coherent so you could tell me what to do to use the frequency machine on you. It worked. You were able to tell me what to do. If it took slapping you into the middle to next week, I would have done it to keep you focused enough to tell me what to do. Bottom line is it worked."

Zack said, "I am grateful for that, but I want you to get me out of these restraints. Who the hell put me in these anyway? "

He was struggling with his wrists being restrained by straps to the bed.

Rachel released his wrists, "You were totally delirious and with an extremely high fever, Zack. It took the Captain and Danny to hold you down so that I could put these restraints on you. I had to use ice packs in towels to get your temperature down. You were fighting me all the way. Of course no one likes to have ice put on them when they are burning up with fever and I also had to put ice on the spider bite and that was very painful."

"You say, "Tom helped you restrain me? That is a switch. I hope you never have to restrain him. He has a real thing about it. If you think I was fighting you. I guess it goes back to when he was tortured."

Rachel asked " Zack, who tortured him?"

Zack said, kicking himself mentally, "Classified, Rachel. I should not have said anything about it. Rachel, promise me you will not ask him about it."

She changed the subject. "The way you were talking in your delirium, it sounded like you were trying to get to Cynthia and you were pretty close to making it happen. If the Captain hadn't started you frequency treatment when he did, you would not be here."

Zack looked startled. "You mean Tom treated me? How did that happen?"

Rachel said, "I was trying to get your temperature down and keeping you conscious. He was following your instructions on your computer. He kept telling me what numbers were coming out and then Scanning and treating again."

Zack let out a breath, "I guess he saw some things he might have questions about."

Rachel looked up and said, "Zack, do you have more secrets you have been keeping from him?"

Zack turned his head to the side. "He will eventually know about all of them, but he couldn't handle everything at once, believe me."

This made Rachel angry, "Zack, you seem to be able to handle all of the secrets. Why do you think the Captain can't? He didn't have a problem treating you with your own machine and he is no doctor, at least I don't think he is. I keep finding out more about things I did not know he could do."

Zack said, "Rachel, as time goes on both you and he will find out more about what he can do. He has enough on his plate right now, getting the vaccine to as many safe areas as is possible and to try to find as many crew members family members as we can, not to mention keeping the ship supplied. His is not an easy job, Rachel, but in the mean time, I will be able to teach you how to use this technology and I know you will be fascinated by it."

Now that his restraints were off, Zack realized he didn't have a thing on under the sheet. He said, "By the way Rachel, do you think you could get me a t-shirt and some boxer shorts. I guess I don't have any secrets from you, now, do I?"

She grinned "Dr. Hayden, if you don't want your assets being on display, I would suggest next time, you make sure the spider doesn't bite you two inches from your privates. I would say that you are very lucky, you didn't have a far more painful wound."

XXXX

Later, Rachel walked into the wardroom at 2025. She looked around the room and saw Mike with a cup of coffee bent over some report. He looked up and said, "Well, hello Dr. Scott. You wanted a cup of tea? I guess you had a rather exciting day, with Dr. Hayden and the spider. How is he doing?"

Rachel said, "Dr. Hayden is doing much better. He still has a fever, but he is making excellent progress. He should be up and around in another few days. He is in good spirits and it certainly proved how important his high tech medical device is to the ship. He is going to teach me how to use it. The Captain also got a chance to actually use it on Zack, while I was treating him directly."

Mike was surprised. "Well, he didn't say anything about doing the treatment himself. He just said that Dr. Hayden was doing well the last he had seen. Oh, and here he is right now."

The Captain had just walked into the wardroom. He nodded to Mike and to Rachel, though his eyes met hers directly for an intense moment of welcome, as a smile passed over his lips. None of this was missed by Mike, nor did he miss the flush and the smile which passed over the face of Dr. Scott, in response. Mike got up from the table as the Captain was getting a mug of coffee for himself.

Mike said he had some work to do and left Tom and Rachel sitting in the wardroom alone. Tom set his coffee mug down on the table and placed one of his hands over one of hers, covering it. He said softly, "Rachel, I missed you so much over the last few days. It was good to be with you, even though you were treating Zack."

She laughed, "Captain, you were the one treating Zack. It was what you were doing that actually neutralized the poison. Thank God, you were with me. It meant so much for you to be with me. God, how I missed you, Tom. I wish we could be together much more than we are. I have seen more of your children and your dad than I have you. It was probably only because of a life threatening situation that you were even in sickbay."

Tom said, "Actually I came down to sickbay a couple of times over the last few days, but it is like when you come to the bridge when I am in charge. We both have our duties and that comes first. We might be able to say hello, but that is about it. You were very busy with treating patients, the lab and training with Zack, not to mention the treatments he has been giving you in order to get your healthy again after your trauma. By the way, how is that coming for you?

She turned the hand he was holding up and she clasped his fingers with her own and squeezed them together. "The frequency treatments seem to be working so well on both Alisha and me. The burns are almost all gone and there are no scars on either of us. The feelings of being shaky or afraid seem to be much better as well. That technology is really something to see and experience, isn't it?"

Tom said "It does seem amazing when you see someone who is almost dying start responding in front of your eyes. I do have some questions for Zack when he is better. I saw some things when I was treating him that I want to know about."

Rachel said, "Yes, he said you might have some questions, when he found out that you were the one who had done the treatments on him. He did not seem too happy about that."

Tom said, "No, and I don't think he will like my questions, but he is going to get them, whether he likes it or not and he is going to give me the answers whether he likes it or not."

At this moment, the door to the wardroom opened and Rachel and the Captain, released their united hands and stood up, knowing that their time together for tonight was over. They both said goodnight and left separately from the wardroom. Kara and Alisha came into the room to get coffee and a late snack. They were both on duty and this was a break for them.

XXXX

Hope you liked this Chapter. Drop me a line to let me know what you think about where the story is going.

Thanks to MorningGlory 2 for her help in Editing this Chapter.


	22. Chapter 22 A New Home

Chapter 22 A New Home

Ashley and Ava went into the wardroom for lunch and they were sitting at the table with their meal and some chocolate milk, made from powder, but it certainly tasted good. The girls were talking about how much they loved their cabin, which they had fixed up with the things that Thorwald, their hero, had given them. They also had some great things to wear to bed. They didn't have to wear their fathers' huge T-shirts. They had frilly nightgowns to wear or shorts and T-tops that actually fit them. They had pajama bottoms with warm tops, depending on the weather. They each had a variety of shorts, jeans, slacks, T-shirts, blouses, tops and even dresses to wear on the ship. They had ruffles on the curtains on their beds that Bertrice had helped them sew on. They had some great posters that had belonged to Thorwald's daughter and it really brightened up their room. Even though it was small, they both loved it and most of all, they loved to have someone near their own age to talk to.

Most of all Ashley loved to hear Ava tell her the story of how her Daddy had rescued Ava and her mother from the Russians and how they had all escaped on the RHIB and she and her mother had gotten back to her Dad, Dr. Tophet on the Nathan James.

Ava could see how much happier her parents were together. She had actually seen them kissing each other again. She was glad they could have their own cabin and she could be with her new friend, Ashley. She knew her dad would be so much happier now that he could be up and around and could actually work again with Dr. Scott. He was pretty much recovered from his injuries, after being treated by Dr. Hayden.

As they were sitting there, Kelly and Dr. Scott walked into the wardroom for some tea and a bite to eat. The two women joined the children.

Ava said, "Mom, will you and Dr. Scott come to our cabin so you can see how we have decorated it? We have just finished the curtains on the beds. Bertrice helped us. She is really good at sewing. Will you come?"

Both women said that of course they would come to see their cabin. The girls excitedly led the way. They could not wait to show their handiwork.

The girls opened the steel door to their small cabin with the bunk beds. There was barely enough room for the 4 of them to step in so the girls stayed outside the door while the two women walked in. The girls had hung up a decorative small mirror that looked like it had come from a princess's castle. The walls were covered with colorful posters of castles and mountains, islands and sunsets. It was definitely the room of two young girls who loved being girls. The regulation curtains that hung on the beds to give some semblance of privacy, all had ruffles sewn to the bottoms. There were Princess throw pillows scattered on both beds with decorative throws to match, rolled up at the end of each bunk. There was a snow globe containing a castle on the dresser. The snow globe was lit up and swirling the snow all around. There was also a jewelry box full of lovely bracelets and fun rings. The girls found it all so romantic and they felt like they were in bed in a castle, rather than on a US Navy Destroyer. Both Kelly and Rachel smiled at each other, knowing how much this meant to these two young girls who were trying so hard to maintain the fantasy that everything in the world was still magical and beautiful. The two older women were so grateful that for this time these two young ones could escape the reality of the nightmares they had about Ava's time on the Russian ship and Ashley's remembrance of her mother's death. The girls felt they had a place on the ship that was theirs. This was important. This is now the only home they have.

XXXXX

The girls brought Sam and their grandfather into their cabin and Sam said, "Gosh, this looks as if a fairy lived here." He loved the snow globe, but fairies were not really his thing.

Jed looked and remembered his daughter Jenny and how she used to love this type of fantasy and romantic surrounding. He could see that Sam wanted something for his room, but it had to be for a boy. He would talk to Tom about it.

Of course, the girls had to have their dads come to see their room as well. The Captain and Dr. Tophet were brought to the girls' cabin and had to tell the girls what a great job they had done in decorating it. Each Dad gave his daughter a big hug and let them return to their fantasy. The Captain was smiling, as was Tophet, when they walked away from the cabin.

The Captain said, "Well, they seem to be settling in just fine. They seem very happy. How are you feeling, by the way? Are you able to go back to work yet?"

Dr. Tophet replied, "Yes, Captain, thank you for asking. I am feeling much better. I have Dr. Hayden to thank that I even lived after that wound.

The Captain said, "Yes, he is quite amazing, isn't he?"

He thought about Zack and how he would make a point to speak to him tomorrow morning. He didn't care if he still had a fever. In the process of helping to save his life, he had seen some things in Zack's computer. He had a photographic memory and he remembered every single name on the list of people who Zack had treated. He wanted to know what that technology did besides treat illness. He was tired of getting half truths.

XXXX

Later, the Captain was sitting at his desk in his quarters working through reports he had on how many supplies they had to last them until they could make their next port of call. There were some things still out of commission, where spare parts were needed in various areas of the ship. Their next plans as to where the Nathan James would go next, would depend on where they might find the items they needed. Tophet was now good to go, thanks to Zack. Zack still had a few days out of commission. Rachel and Lt. Granderson were pretty much back to normal. Other crewmen were getting better after wounds from Baltimore. There was a knock at the door. He opened it and Rachel was standing there, holding Sam's hand. Sam's head was down and his Daddy picked him up and said, "Why Sammy, what's the problem, buddy? You look like you need to talk to your Daddy."

He nodded for Rachel to pass in front of him into his quarters. He closed the door behind her. Rachel sat down on the Captain's desk chair and Tom sat down on the office couch and put Sam next to him. "Now, suppose you tell me what you are upset about, huh?"

Sammy looked up into his Dad's eyes and said, "Well, I was just thinking, Daddy. Your cabin has lots of things in it, so it seems like it belongs to you. Now, Ash has a lot of things in her cabin. It looks like a fairy lives there. I would like something for my cabin, too."

His Dad smiled, winking at Rachel, he said, "Would you like me to get you something that looks like a fairy, Sam.?"

Sam rolled his eyes at his Dad, "No, Daddy. I want something that looks like I live there, not like a girl lives there."

Tom winked again at Rachel. "Well, I am certainly glad to hear that, Sammy. I think we may be able to find something you could have for your room. Is there something in this room you would like to have in your room?"

Sammy got up and started walking all around the Captain's quarters. He was touching everything he could reach. He touched the United States Navy throw that his father had draped across the back of his couch. His father saw that he loved that throw. He looked up at the walls and he pointed to a picture of the Nathan James in a frame. He looked up at another picture of the sunset over the ocean. He ran his small hand over the clock inside of a ships steering wheel. He looked at one of Tom's favorite things, his sundial that Darien had given him for his birthday. Sam knew that his mother had given his Dad that sundial and he was careful not to touch that.

Sammy looked at his Daddy and said. "I just want something that makes me know this is home now, Dad." His eyes were a little sad. His Daddy picked him up and hugged him. "Let me see what I can do. Okay, buddy?"

Sam nodded his head and hugged his Daddy. Tom said, "Rachel, could you take him for some hot chocolate? You might take some time, maybe to have a little tea yourself. Then take him back to his cabin. My Dad should be there. Then would you mind meeting me back here yourself?"

Rachel nodded, knowing Tom was planning to do something while she was with Sam. They headed off to the wardroom.

The Captain grabbed the throw and a throw pillow that he had with an anchor or it, mainly things that had been given to him as gifts. He grabbed the wall clock in the shape of a ship's steering wheel. He took two photographs off his wall. He went to his dresser and took out a wooden box that he had since he was a boy and he'd always kept his secret things in it. He had always meant to give it to his son, but just had never gotten around to it. It seemed so old and it really was. His Dad had given it to him. It had the look of a small treasure chest. It had the old metal clasp and all. He'd kept his insignias in it. They were his old ones, when he was a Lt. Commander. He left these in the box and headed out the door to his son's cabin which he shared with Jed.

When the Captain knocked, Jed answered and he quickly told his Dad what had happened and showed him the items he had brought to decorate the room. He neatly folded the Navy throw on Sam's bed. His father helped him hang the picture of the Nathan James in the frame and the picture of the lighthouse in the sunset. He hung the steering wheel clock and put the small treasure chest on the dresser. His father smiled when he saw the chest. It had belonged to him as a child. He did not know his son still had kept it. It brought a tear to his eye when he realized Tom was passing it on to his own son.

The room was transformed and his father said, "Good job, Tom. He will be so happy."

Tom said, "Dad, he said he needed his room to look like it was his home now."

A while later, Rachel knocked on the door to his quarters. He opened the door and let her in. She ran into his arms and said, "Oh Tom, you should have seen his face. He loved everything. You made it just perfect for him. He was so fascinated with the treasure chest box. He said that this was your special box that you had from when you were a boy his age. Your Dad told him that he had given you that box. When he opened it and found your insignias, he was so proud. He is going to treasure that box just like you did. What a beautiful thing you did tonight. Your son is so happy, Tom. He has a piece of his father in that room and so does your Dad have a piece of his son. Even though the room is so small, it looked so warm and cozy. He got in bed and he has the Navy throw, his father's throw over his bed. That little room looks like a miniature Captain's cabin. Oh, Thomas Chandler, I love you."

Rachel hugged him and he bent down and kissed her. He said, "Thank you for bringing him to me, Rachel. I sometimes miss when something is bothering my children. I don't want to miss anything. You made sure I didn't. Rachel, I don't know what I would ever do without you."

She said, "Nothing is bothering him now, Captain."

He looked into her eyes. He pulled her closer into his arms. He bent his head down into her neck. He smelled the lush vanilla scent of her shampoo. He breathed in her essence and he wanted her so much with every inch of his body throbbing to feel her close to him. He reached under her blouse from the back, running his large hands over her exposed skin. Her skin felt like velvet, so soft. He unhooked her bra and now her whole back was exposed to his exploring hands. Rachel reached around him and under his BDU shirt and T-shirt to his bare skin. She ran her nails tracing patterns all over the muscles of his back and his sides, gently and seductively letting him know how this would feel all over his body. She started to unbutton his shirt and he pulled her blouse off over the top of her head. He pulled her bra off and it dropped to the floor. He slipped out of his BDU shirt and she reached under his T-shirt and pushed it up, over the top of his head. Now they stood facing one another. He pulled her into his chest and he felt her breasts pressed against his bare chest and his hands began to explore her beautiful back and neck. He ran his hands into the silken tresses of her free flowing hair as he released it letting the wonderful vanilla scent that was all Rachel, envelope his senses. He held her away from him for a second taking in the beauty of her breasts. He lowered his lips to her nipples and kissed them running his tongue around each one until they were taut. He then gently placed his thumbs and flicked them over the top of each nipple while he, at the same time, kissed her lips, purposely thrusting his tongue into her mouth, exploring its depth. She matched his passion with her own thrusting tongue.

All this time she was running her fingers all over his chest and down his stomach with her nails ever so slightly brushing patterns weaving up to his neck and into his hair, tracing her nails down over the muscles of his arms and back up to his collar bone, over every inch she could reach of his exposed skin. She couldn't get enough of him, She took in the clean soap scent of his body and was so aware of his tongue exploring her mouth and her lips, as his hands caressed her breasts every so gently and with such adoration, as if he was learning every contour of her exposed chest. He ran his hands in a circular pattern down her stomach and his hands encompassed her small waist as he pulled her closer to him as he again explored her back, nipping at her neck, with his lips. His smooth muscular body was hard and strong and she felt so loved as he caressed her skin with his large hands, hands so strong, yet caressing her with the most gentle feather light strokes. She was purring under his stroke on her breasts and her back.

She reached his belt and she reached under it, tracing a pattern down over his lower abdomen. He groaned and thrust his hips toward her. His hands slipped below her waistband in back and he cupped the cheeks of her small bottom, lifting her slightly and pulling her lower body tightly into his. She let out a growl and she knew they could not pull back now. She could feel his hardness thrust against her, through their clothing.

Then, much to their horror, there was a sharp knock at the Captain's door. He said, "Damn, who is it? Just a minute." He motioned for Rachel to go into his bedroom where the light was out. She stood in the shadows and rushed to put her clothing back on.

The Captain opened the door, standing there in his BDU pants, shirtless.

Mike stepped inside past the Captain. "Just stopped by to pick up the reports you asked me to pick up for review tomorrow. Looks like I got you at a bad time."

Then, Mike noticed the bra on the floor near the Captain's desk. The Captain saw it at the same time and their eyes met. As the Captain thrust the stack of reports into Mike's hands, Mike said, "Oh, damn, I really did get you at a bad time. I will take a look at these reports and we will discuss them tomorrow. Have a good evening… Captain."

The Captain closed the door and picked up Rachel's bra. The spell was broken and Rachel stepped out of the shadows and she took her bra from the Captain's hands. She said, "I guess he saw that."

The Captain looked down and nodded.

They looked deep into each other's eyes. The Captain said, "It is my fault. I should have remembered I had asked him to stop by and get these reports for a meeting we have tomorrow.'

Rachel said, "Oh God, Tom. This is so hard, isn't it? I had better go. We can't just continue where we left off, now that Mike knows."

Tom just looked at her. He knew it was his fault, but now he knew he should not have let it go so far, anyway. God, he knew he really cared for Rachel, but he was going to have to be more careful for a while, yet."

He kissed her goodnight lightly on the lips. He said, "Goodnight, Baby Tiger. Hang in there. We are going to make this work."

XXXX

Drop me a line if you liked this Chapter.

Thanks so much to MorningGlory 2 and Joys of October for all their help as Betas.


	23. Chapter 23 Firefox 2

Chapter 23 Firefox 2

The Captain dressed for duty on the Bridge and he stopped by the wardroom and picked up a cup of coffee for himself and another for Zack, the way he liked it. He also brought a blueberry muffin, which he knew was Zack's usual for a morning break. He headed for the Sickbay. He met Dr. Rios and asked him where Zack's bed was. Rios told him and he walked into the area. He was lying there, but he looked much better than the last time he had seen him. His leg was elevated. The Captain said, "Well, Zack, you look a hell of a lot better than the last time I saw you. How are you feeling?"

Zack looked up at the Captain. He knew he would be coming. He looked down and took a deep breath. "Good Morning, Tom. I am feeling much better and thank you for the work you did with my scanner to treat me. You and Rachel saved my life, you know."

The Captain said, "That is what she told me, but it was really her. If she hadn't kept slapping you awake so you could tell us what to do, you would not be here. Have you had breakfast yet? I brought you coffee and a Blueberry Muffin. I think that is your favorite, as I remember, Zack."

Zack smiled and accepted the coffee and the muffin. He was actually starving. His temperature was still elevated, but out of the danger zone. He still could not walk too well because of the bite on his leg. It was still swollen.

Both men started drinking their coffee. The Captain said, "Zack, when I did the scan on you, I had to scroll to the bottom of the list of names of those you have scanned. Do you want me to read back that list to you? I remember every single name, Zack."

Zack looked down, before he looked into the Captain's steel blue eyes. "No, Tom, there is no need to read them back to me. I know you have a photographic memory. I guess you want to know why your family is on my list."

The Captain said, "Yes, Commander. I want to know that and I want to know why you have Kate on your list."

Zack said, "I don't have Kate on my list."

The Captain yelled. "God Damn it, Zack. You are going to stop lying to me. Do you think I don't remember her handle, her call sign? You really think I would not know who 'Firefox2' is, when my handle was Firefox1? What kind of a fool do you take me for?"

Zack said. "Tom, I had no idea you would ever be treating me with my own scanner, that you would ever see that list. That list is Top Secret. You were not suppose to know about her being on it, yet. Those were my orders. You have top secret clearance, but not about this."

The Captain's voice was raised in anger again. "Zack, I know about that list now! Commander Hayden, I am still the Captain of this ship and I order you to tell me what you are hiding about that technology and why you have my family, Mike's family, Kate and a good number of people on this ship, including Dr. Scott, on that list. I am sure Dr. Scott was on that list before she was ever in need of your treatment, after she was tortured. I want answers, now, straight answers, Commander!"

At this point, Rachel came rushing into the room. Dr. Rios had gone directly into her lab, when he heard the heated tone the Captain was using with Dr. Hayden. She said, "Captain, what is going on in here. The whole sick bay and a good part of the lab can hear you two going at it. Captain, if you want to have a heated conversation with Zack, you could at least wait until he is well. Tom, remember he almost died two days ago."

The Captain said. "Rachel, I need answers now. He has been lying to me long enough. I don't care if he still has a fever, he can answer my questions. I am sick and tired of the half truths and outright lies. He leaves vital information out of what he is telling me. Zack, you have always been one of my best friends. I have tried to be patient with you, but no more."

Rachel said, "Captain, who is FireFox2"

Zack said, "Yes, Captain, do you want to tell Rachel who Firefox 2 is? You know I can't answer your questions like this. I need to speak to you in private and in answer to your question, Rachel. It is classified, the Captain can't tell you who Firefox 2 is, at least not yet. I need to tell him what he can say now and what he can't."

The Captain pulled himself together and said to Rachel. "Alright, where can I speak to Zack in private?"

She said, "Captain, if you two are going to have a verbal fist fight, there is no place, here in sickbay, that you can speak to him, unless you want the whole ship to hear about it. If you will speak to him calmly, you can use my office at the lab."

Zack looked resigned. "Rachel, is there any way you could get me to the Captain's quarters. I need to speak with him at length, in private. He is right. Because of what happened, he already knows about some of the scanner technology and it is about time he knows a bit more about what it can do."

Rachel said, "Zack, I don't want you out of bed for more than an hour. It really should not be until tomorrow. You are still running a fever."

Zack said, "An hour should be a good start to answer his questions. If more time is needed, I can meet with him again tomorrow."

The Captain said. "I have duty on the bridge until 1500, so he can take his time and be in my quarters at 1530. How would that be, Dr. Scott? "

Dr. Scott said" Commander Hayden will be in your quarters at 1530, baring unforeseen complications with his condition, Captain."

The Captain said "Fine, 1530, Commander.

Dr. Scott said, "Captain, no more than an hour, remember."

The Captain, clinched his jaw and said, "Yes, Ma'am."

He left the sickbay and headed for the bridge. He had a frown on his face. He knew the way he was feeling did not make sense, but he didn't like that Rachel was seemingly protecting Zack from him, of all things. And this was after last night when she had been in his arms.

The memory of that made him smile before he saw the knowing look in Mike's eyes, when he got to the bridge. The Captain said," Mike, nothing happened."

Mike said," Careful Captain, I imagine, something would have happened if I had not interrupted you."

The Captain said, "Warning acknowledged, Mike."

XXX

The Captain was in his quarters, when he heard Zack's knock. He opened the door and stood aside as Zack was helped into the room by a sailor. The Captain could see Zack's green eyes were still shiny and bright with fever. It was obvious he was gritting his teeth against the pain. The Captain felt a moment of guilt for putting his friend through this, but Zack could have told him this information when he was healthy. The Captain was angry that he had to force it out of him. He wanted the answers now.

The Captain told the sailor to help Zack onto his couch and to place his injured leg so that it could be stretched out. The Captain got a pillow from his bed to place under Zack's knee to elevate the upper thigh as much as possible. The Captain sat down at his desk chair which he turned to face Zack.

Before the Captain said anything, Zack began the conversation. "First of all, Tom, before the Virus became the main world problem, there were a great number of items regarding the plan that I had orders not to divulge to you, until I was given the okay by Naval Command. It has all been very much classified. Even though you have a high security clearance, almost the highest, it is still not as high as mine. Even though you have a higher rank, I had to have the extra clearance because of the capabilities of the scanner. It is actually capable of much more than the part you have been aware of up to this point. I did get the clearance, today, to give you more information, since you now are aware of the list. Tom, the scanner can also track anyone on that list. It can tell me the physical condition of the person being scanned and also, of course, whether they are still alive. I can also see stress levels.

When you were in the ocean, after you had called off all search and rescue efforts to save you, I could tell you were dehydrated, sunburned, had low electrolytes and that you had nothing to eat for hours. I could tell you were exhausted. I could see you were not on any ship and you were far away from the Nathan James. I could tell you were in the ocean because you were moving only as fast as you could swim. You don't know how I almost had to contact Naval Command to rescue you, but if I had done that, we would have to have exposed our technology too early to your ship and possibly the Russians. I could tell when you were picked up because I could tell you were no longer in the same location, but were on an aircraft moving to another location on a ship in the ocean. I could tell that the ship you were on was also moving away from the ship that Rachel, Mike, and Tophet were on, The Nathan James. Hours later, I saw that Rachel was moving away from the Nathan James and ended up on another ship, the one you were on, Tom. It was interesting to see your rescue, all on the scanner. I could read your reactions and hers to a number of stimulants. The most interesting one was shortly after she arrived on the Vyerni. Both of you merged into the same spot for a short time. That must have been when she passed the note to you. Both of your blood pressures raised, your body temperatures raised and your heart rates both increased. Then you were separated but I could tell you were both still on the same ship, but in different locations. Both you and Rachel were under a tremendous amount of stress during that time on the Russian ship. That is not surprising, just interesting to watch from the prospective of the scanner.

I no longer had the SAT phone contact with Rachel, but I scanned her, you, Mike and Tophet. Tophet had also asked that we monitor his family, which I have been doing. We could not figure out why his family was on a different ship and why his wife and child were under so much stress, as was Tophet, though he was still on the Nathan James, but strangely confined to one small area, not in the area where Dr. Scott was working. We finally figured something had happened. Then we saw that you were taken aboard the same ship as Tophet's family and then all of you, who were on that ship, moved together off that ship onto a shorter range boat and finally were back on the Nathan James. What an adventure you had. From our prospective, you were all back where you were supposed to be and heading for Baltimore and your family, I had a great number of questions, which were finally answered, once I was aboard the Nathan James.

I had been monitoring your family each day and found them still safe up in your father's cabin. Then, just before I saw that you were heading for Baltimore, I got readings that Darien was very sick. I was pretty sure it was the Virus, because I do not have that virus in my data base. We have not identified the frequency for it yet. Then your children and your father became ill with the same symptoms. I treated them with everything that came up in my scanner, like Ebola and other hemorrhagic fevers. That may have slowed it down, but I was fairly sure we could not save them. Without having the actual frequency for that virus, the scanner was only treating the symptoms it picked up, which were similar to what happens with the other diseases that came up.

Then, I noticed they had left the spot in your father's cabin. They were in a car heading for the Baltimore area. I could see the Nathan James was also heading for Baltimore. I prayed, on a long shot that, somehow, you had the cure and could connect with your family and save them, but that seemed almost impossible. I had no idea you had found the cure. I just wanted you to know, Tom that we were trying to keep track of your family, as much as possible. I would have tried to bring them to Thorwald's group, but the area between the two locations was rampant with the Virus. I hope you can see all of this technology is good, even though it did not save your wife, Tom."

The Captain was getting some of his questions answered, but what Zack had said brought up other questions. Now, it was his turn. "Zack, I appreciate your explaining this capability to me, but I still have other unanswered questions for you."

The Captain continued," Zack, now you know my next question, don't you?"

Zack said, "Yes, Tom, you want to know about Firefox2. As I told Dr. Scott, Firefox2 is classified." He took one look at the Captain's face, as he stood up ready to read him the riot act. He was going to get his answers.

There was no way around it. Zack knew he had to tell him about her, though he had been given strict orders not to speak of her to the Captain. He raised his hand in defense and said, "Alright, Captain, you have the security clearance to hear about her, since you have seen the list. Rachel does not. The last time you had contact with Firefox2, with Kate, you had orders to train her on your anti-gravity aircraft. You did it because you were ordered to do so, but this was your baby. You had helped develop it and you had flown it, almost exclusively. Kate had worked along with you, being a part of NASA, on the same aircraft, but from a different angle, on the same project.. She took on the handle, Firefox 2, because your handle had always been Firefox1. She did it in honor of you and your special relationship. She is in my data base because I have to track her, just like I do you. Both of you are invaluable to this project, along with Dr. Scott. If I had called for your rescue, Kate would probably been the one to rescue you, but fortunately Rachel took on that mission and we did not have to risk exposing Kate's part of the plan before we were ready."

The Captain said, "How is she, Zack? I guess she is still married to that NASA scientist, Connolly? Do they have children? Are they in your database? I saw some names of people I don't know."

Zack said, "Tom, her husband was killed in a launch explosion, a number of years ago. She has a son about Sam's age. He and Sammy will probably play together once we get everybody to the Island. In answer to your last question, yes, her son is on the list, as are your children and mine. We unfortunately lost Mike's son because of the Virus."

The Captain said," Zack, I need one of those aircraft, now. How do you communicate with the Naval Command? Let them know that we need to get into the inner US. Mike's family is in Deer Park. I need to get them on this ship so we can inoculate them. Get Kate here so we can inoculate her and get some of the vaccine back to the Island for her son and the others. Zack, we need this now. Let them know. She could bring me up to date on the aircraft and I could fly it again, myself."

Zack said, "Captain, they would not want you to risk yourself. I told you that you are too valuable to them in the command position that you are in. They still have the plan."

The Captain was getting angry again and he started yelling at Zack. "That is crap, Zack. To hell with the plan. You know they took that aircraft away from me as punishment for trying to save her, back then. Thirteen years is a long enough punishment, for God's sake. What I want to do is save peoples lives. Every week that they wait to get me that aircraft, thousand more die, don't they understand that?"

Zack said, "Tom, I know you don't want to see this now, but they were not trying to punish you by taking the aircraft away, they were trying to train you in command. Why do you think you were promoted rather than having your rank lowered after you disobeyed a direct order, not to follow Kate, after her plane went down?. Why do you think you were made an XO on another Destroyer and trained in everything to do with commanding a ship, in triple the speed of any other officer in those circumstances? If there was punishment, it was not allowing you to be together again. You obviously used poor judgment when you were involved with her and they could not have that. You got yourself captured, tortured and almost killed with that one bad move, even if you were trying to save her. It took several months for you to recover. After you trained her, then you both were separated, far away from each other. After a while, you met and married Darien and Kate married Connolly. I know you loved Darien and you do not regret your life with her."

The Captain said, "No, I never regretted my life with Darien. I loved her with all my heart. You know that. Kate was only 21 years old when I first met her, one of those NASA geniuses and I was 28. That was 13 years ago that Kate and I worked on that project together."

Zack said, "Captain, You will be working with her again, but this time you are both older and you have more sense. You both have children and different responsibilities. You have the responsibility for over 200 people on this ship with more coming and that is not to mention what the Navy has in store after you reach the Island."

The Captain looked at Zack intently. "I need to know about the plan, Zack and I do intend to fly that aircraft myself. You can tell them that. Now, do you want to explain to me exactly what they have in mind for me?"

Just then, there was a knock at the door of the Captain's quarters. He looked annoyed and he had a sneaking suspicion as to who it would be. He opened the steel door, "Ah, Dr. Scott. I presume you are here to collect Commander Hayden, before I have done him irreparable harm, right, Dr. Scott?"

She said, "Why Captain Chandler, yes, I felt it my duty to protect my patient from too much of your ire and your hour is up. Commander Hayden, has the Captain been treating you in a civil manner?"

She took out a thermometer and took Zack's temperature." Well his temperature is higher than when he was in sickbay. I hope you got the answers you wanted Captain. He may have to stay an extra day in sickbay to recoup from your interrogation."

The Captain said, "Yes, I got quite a lot of information, but I still have other questions. I will want to see him again, tomorrow, Dr. Scott, but I can come to sickbay, if need be."

She said, "Do me a favor, Captain. Come to me first, I will tell you when he will be up to more questioning."

The Captain said, "By all means, Dr. Scott, we would not want Dr. Hayden to be over taxed by speaking with me, now would we?"

Dr, Scott and Dr. Hayden were aware of the irritated tone in the remark that the Captain had just made. Rachel knew the cause of his words, and it made her smile inwardly. He

did not like her taking Zack's side. Her Captain was jelous..

Tom, sat at his desk after they had left, thinking about what Zack had said. He also had to think about the fact that he would be seeing Kate again, her handle still Firefox2. Everyone on that project, back then had known that she was his fiery redheaded green eyed Kate. She was 21, with a Doctorate in Aerospace Propulsion, the last time he had seen her and now she was 34. He wondered how much she had changed. She now had a son, the age of Sammy. He could not believe how much had changed in both of their lives. Zack had confirmed what he had always suspected, that part of his punishment was that the Navy and NASA had forcibly separated him from Kate, after he was forced to train her to fly his aircraft. It had certainly seemed like punishment then, but that was a long time ago.

XXXX

Rachel, finally got Zack back to sickbay with the help of a sailor she had recruited to help them and she got him back in bed. She took his temperature and was not happy that it was elevated. She checked his leg and took care of that. Zack said, "It is alright, Dr. Scott. I really needed to have that talk with the Captain. He is right. I have not been free to give him all the information he needs to have. It is not right for him not to know the full story, or as much of it as I can give him."

Rachel said, "I have rarely seen him so angry. Zack, why can't I know about this Firefox2 person? I heard her name is Kate? Why was he so upset that she was on your scanner list, Zack?"

Zack said, "Dr. Scott, I cannot tell you about what she is now, at least not yet, but she is someone he knew 13 years ago, before he married Darien.

Rachel said, "Well, Zack, now you can tell me why was my name and hers in your database?"

Zack said, "Rachel, I will be training you on this technology soon. There is only so much I can tell you now. You of all people should understand about withholding information, after your first 4 month on board the Nathan James. I will let you know as soon as I can."

Rachel looked into his handsome face, his green eyes very intense and he did not look away as he spoke to her. She could also see he was in pain and she placed her hand on his chest and pushed him back onto the pillow in the bed. She said, "I know what it feels like to have to hold the truth back. I do understand Zack. Now, lie down for a while. Bacon will be sending a meal here for you soon. I will check on you later. There is water here on the side table. Zack, call Dr. Rios if you need anything and he can either take care of it or call me."

After Rachel had left him, Zack lay there feeling a little down. He realized it was probably just the fever and the pain. He really missed Cynthia tonight. He missed his boys and the life they had and that he would never have again. Everything would be different, so different. He would be returning to his boys without their mother and he had not let himself think about that. God, how he had loved her. He remembered back to when he had first met Cynthia and how she had reminded him of Kate. Both had fiery personalities and they were both the most beautiful redheads with green eyes. How could he have ever been so lucky to have met two such beautiful and fascinating redheads in one lifetime?

He remembered back, more than 13 years ago, when he and Tom were best friends and how Tom and Kate were both important parts of the project involving the anti-gravity aircraft that Tom was flying. Tom was a Lt. Commander in the Navy and Kate was a NASA specialist in Anti-gravity propulsion. They worked closely together and everyone knew that they were an item. She was a spitfire and they would often fight, but they always made up. She flew some of the Navy aircraft and he often took her with him in the aircraft he flew, because she was working on improving the maneuverability of it. She could easily have flown it herself. His aircraft also was stealth and could actually become invisible or cloaked. She worked on that part of the technology as well. They were both crucial to the project. Much of what they did was flying over enemy territory, collecting and bringing back critical information. They were both test flying, but also seeing the practical value of these aircraft in reconnaissance.

He remembered the day that the aircraft Kate was flying was lost on the radar and was presumed down over hostile territory. They knew her approximate location and her beeper was working. Tom was flying his aircraft at the same time and heard her mayday call for help. He radioed back that he was the closest and he would go in after her. In his aircraft, he could land anywhere and pick her up.

Naval command radioed back to him that under no circumstances was he to try to rescue her that they would take care of that. They had in fact scrambled a Navy Seal Team to the area. Tom knew he was close and was sure he could do this. He disobeyed orders saying that he had static on the line and could not hear what they were instructing him to do. He radioed that he was going in.

That was a bad move. He landed and cloaked his aircraft so it was invisible. Unfortunately, he was not invisible, and before he could get to where she had bailed out, he was captured by hostile forces. He was taken to their village and was tortured. They knew his aircraft was nearby, but he would give them no information about his aircraft or the other pilot, who they were still searching for after they found her aircraft.

The Navy Seal Team got Kate out, while the hostile forces were working on Tom.

The same Navy Seal Team went back to get Tom out, which they were able to do. They had Kate with them, so she could locate his cloaked aircraft and she was able to fly it back. She knew enough about it and he had actually let her fly it, with him in the cockpit with her, so she was able to do this. The Seals took Tom back by transport. Zack was with him, actually treating him with the new technology he had as well as hands on. Tom didn't even know that Zack was a doctor. He was in very bad shape. The torture had been severe and he was barely conscious. Navy Command needed to know if Tom had broken under torture and had told the enemy anything about his aircraft, which was extremely top secret. He was able to get Tom conscious enough to ask him if he had told them anything. Tom said he had not. His statement was not enough for Navy Command. They thought he might have been too ashamed to admit he had broken, under the torture. They told Zack to give him Sodium Pentothal (Truth Serum). They had to be sure. He gave Tom Truth Serum and awakened him enough to answer the same question again. He answered again that he had not given them any information. That was good enough for Naval Command and they told the Seals that they only needed to take out the core enemy group, which they had already done and since Lt. Commander Chandler had not given them any information under torture, they would not, thank God, have to call in an air strike on the village. Naval Command gave the command, "Let's bring our boy home."

It took a few months to get Tom back on his feet and in shape again. The first week or so he had been taken to the Island, but then was transferred back to a hospital near his base. He knew he was in big trouble for having disobeyed a direct order. He knew he could be discharged from the Navy. As he got stronger and was able to have visitors, he realized that there was a guard posted outside of his hospital room, so that anyone who came to visit him, came into his room with this escort. He was only allowed to see Kate a few times and never alone. He thought that he must be in for a court martial for what he had done. He tried to keep a stiff upper lip, but he was extremely worried about his future. It was taking all of his strength to recover from what he had been through. His CO in charge of the project he was on, gave him encouragement in his recovery and told him that it had not been decided what would be done about his disobeying the direct order, but that a great deal depended on his recovery and that he be fit for duty, before he would be given further orders. When Tom asked him about the guard, his CO told him it was for security purposes, because of the top secret nature of his present assignment. He was able to be visited by his flight crew and other friends, as well as his family, who were close by enough to see him.

It was therefore, with great apprehension, that he finally got a visit from Naval Command, along with his CO. They told him that when he was strong enough that he would be allowed to train Kate and one other pilot with everything he knew about the anti-gravity aircraft that he had been flying. He would then be transferred to a Command position on a Navy Destroyer as an XO. He would be taking training in everything he needed to know about how to navigate and operate the artillery, missiles and armaments on that Destroyer. He was told that they wanted him in a Command position, with the rank of Commander, but that he would probably be able to utilize his knowledge of the anti-gravity aircraft at some point in the future, so long as he would refrain from disobeying any other direct orders from Naval Command. They told him that he would be told when he was ready to be brought back into that part of the project. They told Tom that transferring him to a ship in a command position is what they had always planned for him.

Zack knew the rational behind the fact that Naval Command had always planned for Tom to Command a ship. All through The Academy, Tom had always been a natural born leader. When ever there was a team mission, he was always the one that just took command or was chosen by his peers to command them. He just always ended up being the person that the others expected to be making the snap judgments and strategies that got his team out of some almost impossible situations.

Naval Command also told Tom that they wanted Kate to continue in the project that they had been working on, after he trained her. The Navy and NASA knew what was going on with the two, but also knew that they did not want to lose either of them, as would be the standard procedure if a man and wife were in the same project. One of them would just be off the project. In this case there was a long term plan for both of them and it had to be fixed so that they would not be together as man and wife, not these two. He was career Navy and she, since age 16 was groomed by NASA and all of her education had been paid for by NASA, so that she would be prepared to take her place as a key part of the Anti-gravity team.

Zack had spent the months after Tom was brought back, trying to be a friend to both Tom and Kate, trying to keep her encouraged about his physical improvement and his condition in general, even though he outright lied to her about most of it. Kate didn't know that Zack was a doctor, nor that he was treating Tom, anymore than Tom knew it, but she thought he had more access to Tom, so could tell her about how he was doing. He knew Tom wouldn't want her to know how bad his true condition was when he got back and how much pain he had to endure during the recovery and physical therapy. He spent a good bit of time letting Tom know how Kate was coping and what she was doing. He would carry messages between them, as long as he could. Kate blamed herself for all of this, because he had risked everything to save her. Zack spent a good amount of time comforting her and talking to her about not blaming herself for what had happened to Tom, but he was not too successful in that. He spent as much of his spare time with her as he could and after a while, he knew he really cared about her as much as he did about his best friend, Tom. Both of them were really being hurt by what was going on. He let her know how much she meant to Tom, but he also knew what was planned for them and that the Navy and NASA were going to make sure that Tom and Kate would never be able to continue their relationship. He felt so bad about that.

Zack, however, knew now that both Tom and Kate were too important to the project for Tom to be discharged. He wondered what Naval Command would do to him.

One night, Kate came to his apartment. When he opened the door, Kate had just melted into his arms. He held her and let her cry. She said "Zack, they are never going to let us be together again. They make sure I am never alone with Tom. Maybe they are right. If it had not been for me, Tom would never have put himself in that danger. I'm not good for him. Oh Zack, Hold me. Please hold me!"

He couldn't help himself. He just wanted to comfort her and he held her in his strong arms, pressing her into his hard body, trying to somehow ease her pain.

Kate cried, "Zack, I want you to kiss me. You are always here for me."

She pressed her lips into his. He could taste the salt in her tears, as she kissed his lips ever so softly. He pulled back, "Kate, honey, its Tom you want to kiss you. Don't do this."

She said so softly, "No Zack, It is you. I want you to kiss me."

His head went down to her neck and he kissed her. He held her closer and he kissed her lips and she kissed him back. She so needed his comfort and he gave himself to her. He kissed her gently at first and then she became more passionate. He so loved her at that moment. He knew somehow he had loved her for a while, but she belonged to his best friend. This could not be right. He tried to pull back, but Kate would not let him.

She pulled him to the bed and started to unbutton his shirt and unbutton and unzip his BDU pants. She said, "Oh Zack, I love you and I want you, now. Please don't leave me alone tonight. You have never left me before when I needed you and I need you now. I want you, Zack."

She was so hurt in her loss and she did not want to be alone. She said to him breathlessly, "Zack, please, I want you. I want you inside of me."

He made love to her in his bed. He had been there for her when she was so hurting for Tom. She held Zack in her desperation and he held her and finally in their exhaustion, they slept.

He blinked as he lay in sickbay, remembering that night. When they had awakened the next morning, they looked at each other and realized what they had done, but they also knew why. They knew that this was a one time thing for them. They both somehow knew it was something they both had needed to do and it had helped them to continue with what needed to be done to go on. He was not sorry and he did not think Kate was either. They looked at each other with complete understanding of why they had done what they did. She said only one thing to him as she got up out of the bed, on her way to the shower, not bothering to cover her beautiful body. She turned to him, as he lay naked in the bed. Her long red hair was hanging loose over her beautiful breasts. She said, "Thank you, Zack. You were here for me when I so needed you and for that I will always love you." She turned away and walked into the bathroom. He watched her sleek back, her tiny waist, her small well formed hips and her slim beautiful legs, as she walked away from him. She came back a few minutes later wrapped in a towel, as he passed her to take his own shower. He saw her look at him, the same way he had looked at her. She reached out and touched his face, then she ran her hand over the contours of his hard chest, as if relishing the way his body had felt against hers the night before and how it felt to have him inside of her. That was the only time they were intimate, though when their eyes met, after that, they looked at each other, each remembering that night. Shortly after that, Kate was transferred to the Island and Zack and Tom were based in Norfolk, VA. Tom was on a Destroyer in the XO position. Tom met and married Darien. Zack met and married his red haired, green eyed Cynthia. Both had children within the same age range and their wives and children were close.

Zack did not meet up with Kate again, until he was working on the Island recently. He was ordered to put her in his database so he could treat her and track her if necessary. She was very much involved in the anti-gravity propulsion of the aircraft she was flying back then and with the latest versions of the aircraft, today. When he saw her, their eyes had met again. He had greeted her formally. He was standing there with his wife, Cynthia, so there was no way they could speak about old times. Kate was still beautiful, somehow even more beautiful than she had been at 21. He got the information he needed to be able to scan and track her, as he had been instructed to do. He found out that her son was about the same age as his son, Christopher and of Tom's son, Sammy. He also found out that her husband had been killed a few years ago. Zack had been involved in what the plan was on the anti-gravity propulsion side and on what Tom's assignment on the Nathan James was in actuality, beyond what he was doing with Dr. Scott and the Vaccine. This is why he had been in charge of placing every one of the crew that Tom had on this ship, with the exception of Lt. Granderson. All of these people were involved in the plan. The Navy had not wanted the Captain to be distracted with what would be, baring unforeseen circumstances, his future command. What he was dealing with now, with all the accompanying dangers, would take all that he had to give to it. There were countries out there that would be making the Nathan James a target, because of the Vaccine they had on board.

Zack was going to have to contact the Naval Command and see if they would consider letting Tom have access to the current anti-gravity aircraft they had on the Island. Zack knew that Tom's arguments for doing so were good, but he wasn't sure how Tom would react to Kate, after all these years. He didn't even know how he himself would react to her. It had been 13 years and she may not have any feelings for either one of them. They would not know until they all met again. Then, of course, there was Dr. Scott.

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Hope you liked the Chapter. I know it is a bit long, but it covered a lot of history and what will be coming. Future Chapters will not be such long ones. Drop me a line if you like where the story is going.

Thanks so much to both MorningGlory 2 for her great suggestions and for Joys of October for the Editing and also her great suggestions on this Mammoth Chapter.


	24. Chapter 24 Bd of Ed Meets Seat of Learng

Chapter 24 The Board of Education Meets The Seat of Learning

The children, Ava, Ashley and Sam had finished their lessons and they went to the wardroom to get some chocolate milk and some of the cookies that Bacon had made for the officers. Ava said, "Gosh, now what do we do today? I don't want to do my homework yet. I wish we could do something different. I am not in the mood for any movies or games. I just wish we could go outside."

Ashley said, "Oh that would be great, but you do remember that we are on a ship."

Lt. Granderson was having a cup of coffee and overheard them. She said, "Oh, it would certainly be a fine day to go out on deck. Too bad we are running drills today and there is no one to take you guys out on deck. It is a beautiful day. Well, maybe you can get the Captain to take you out there on another day. You take care and stay out of trouble. I better get back up on the bridge or I'm going to be in trouble with your father."

Ava said, "She is right. It is a fantastic day. There are no big waves and it will be nice and warm. I bet we could just go out and get some sun. Nobody would even know we were out there. We could just go for a few minutes and get some fresh air. Wouldn't that be fun? They are all busy today and there is no one to take us out. It could be raining tomorrow. We are old enough to go by ourselves Ashley and we can watch Sam, can't we?"

The children decided to do just that. Ashley knew they had been told not to ever go out on deck without having an adult with them, but certainly it would not hurt to go out there for a few minutes, just this one time. No one would ever know. Their dad was on the bridge and Dr. Scott was working in her office. They could go out the door of the Helo bay, past the lab.

The children were careful not to attract any attention when they passed the lab. They purposely didn't say a word to each other and they tiptoed their way past the area where the tests were being done. Ava had a little trouble with the door to the deck. She had to turn the wheel to open it. Ashley helped her and they did get it opened. They all stepped through it and onto the deck.

Ashley and Ava took deep breaths of the sea air. Ava said, "Oh this is heaven. Can you believe this? Just feel the sun on our faces and that sea breeze. It feel so wonderful."

They all walked out onto the deck and then over to the metal cable, which was at the edge of the deck. They all held onto the cable and looked out to sea. They felt so free. Sam ran out onto the middle of the deck. It just felt so good to be able to run. He ran from one side of the ship to the other, while the two girls just walked, enjoying their freedom. After a while, they sat down and dangled their feet over the edge of the deck as they held onto the metal cable behind them for balance. This was so much fun they thought.

The Captain was up on the bridge with Mike and today was the day they planned to run some drills. He did not want the crew to get rusty. Before they started, he wanted to make sure the children would stay in their cabins so that they would not be underfoot as the crew would be rushing down the P-ways to get to their battle stations or wherever the drills required them to be. They had some civilian families with children on board now and he had to make sure they would all stay in safe areas during the drills. He got on the Com and made an announcement "Now hear this. This is the Captain speaking! We will be running a series of drills this afternoon and I want to make sure that all civilians aboard, especially children, be confined to their quarters until I make another announcement that all is clear. All other personnel go to your normal posts."

On the bridge, the Captain asked if there was anyone that had notified the bridge that they would be going topside. Lt. Granderson told him that no one had informed them they would be on deck. The Captain said, "Good, then seal all watertight doors to the deck."

Lt. Granderson repeated the Captain's order, "Seal all watertight doors to the deck."

The Captain asked for a sailor to be sent to Dr. Scott to make sure everything was secure in the lab area. "Let her know that we will be firing the big guns and that can really stir things up."

Dr. Scott was interrupted in her office by a sailor giving her the Captain's message from the bridge. She thanked him and she checked everything to make sure nothing was really loose. Suddenly, Dr. Tophet ran in telling her that his wife could not find Ava and that neither of the girls were in their stateroom. Then Jed came in and told her that he could not find Sam. After she checked all of their regular haunts and the wardroom, she rushed up to the bridge.

She ran to the Captain. "Tom, we can't find the children anywhere."

He said, " What do you mean, you can't find them?"

Rachel looked very worried. "Tom, I have your father, Dr. Tophet and everyone I could grab looking for them. I don't know where else to look!"

He said, "You mean all of them, Ava, Sam and Ashley? You can't find any of them!"

Lt. Granderson, hearing all of this said, "I saw all of them in the wardroom about 40 minutes ago. They were talking about …...about…. Oh my God, Sir. I told them there was no one who could take them out on deck today, because of the drills. You don't think they might have gone out there on their own?"

Everyone on the bridge who had binoculars started looking down at the deck. The Captain walked out onto his small overlook area of the bridge and looked down at the deck. Then, Kara said, "There they are Sir, oh my God, Sammy is holding on to the cable and swinging back and forth and they all have their legs hanging over the edge of the deck."

Before he even ran over to look, the Captain got on the Com. and said, "This is the Captain. All engines, full stop! I say again, All engines, full stop! Unseal all watertight doors to the decks! This is not a drill."

His face had turned ashen at the realization that if he had given the order to fire even one of those big guns, the back blast might have swept all of the children into the sea and with the ship under full forward thrust, they would have been drawn under the water directly into the propellers. If they had fallen overboard by swinging on the cables, the same would have happened. The whole bridge knew what he was thinking and his heart was thundering in his chest at the thought. He took a quick look at where the children were on the deck and he ran for the door to the bridge, yelling at Mike to follow him. He was praying that the ship could come to a complete stop before any of them might fall overboard. The thought of losing them was almost too much to contemplate. He was shaking with the shock. He got hold of himself and yelled at Mike to follow him and he asked Rachel to get Tophet to meet him at the helo bay door to the deck. He barked a sharp order to Lt. Granderson, as he and Mike were running out the door. "Leutenant, drop anchor as soon as the ship stops forward motion. Tell the crew to stand down. There will be no drills today!"

Rachel found Tophet in the Lab and told him about Ava and the other children and to meet the Captain at the door to the Deck. Tophet said, You mean they are out on the deck by themselves?"

Rachel said, "They sure are and the Captain is beside himself. They could have been killed. They are dangling their legs over the edge of the deck, even as we speak."

He made a beeline for the deck door. He could see the Captain and Mike ahead of him on the run. They all reached the door and Tophet looked at the Captain and could see the worry on his face.

The Captain pushed the door open and ran out onto the deck. He knew the children were on the other side of the ship, but he came out on this side for a reason. He told Tophet and Mike "We each need to grab both wrists of the child we will be handling and at exactly the same time. They are all holding on to the cable and if one child was grabbed first when they were holding the cable, it would cause the cable to swing and could surprise the other children and possibly cause them to be swept off the ship. We do not want to let then know we are here. It may startle them and cause them to all be trying to move at the same time. The cable could swing. Mike, I want you to take Ashley and I will take care of Sam. It has to be timed so we all do it at the same instant. Watch me and I will give you the signal."

They started walking across the deck as fast as they could manage and to do it quietly. Sam was holding on to the cable and pushing his hips almost to the edge of the deck. The Captain held his breath, watching him. He prayed he could get to him in time and not startle him so he would lose his balance. Each or the three men came up behind the child they were to rescue. The Captain locked eyes with each and they all had their hands up and within inches of the children. The Captain gave the nod, saying at the same time, "NOW"! Each of the men moved in unison and grabbing the writs, slid the child they were in charge of to safety, as the Captain yelled sharply. "Let go of that cable! We have you!" All of the children were screaming in shock at the way they were yanked back and slid across the deck by their wrists. Mike pulled Ashley to her feet and released her. The Captain released one of Sam's wrists and took hold of Ashley's with his free hand. He said, "Thanks for your help, Mike. I will take it from here."

He started marching his two children forward to the door to the Helo bay, which led to the lab. Ashley said, "Daddy, what are you doing? We weren't doing anything."

The Captain gave her a sharp look and headed for the flight deck door, which was still wide open. He had Sam go through the door first, then pulled Ashley through. He said, "You two are going to my quarters and we are going to have a discussion about what you were doing out there alone and what I am going to do about it!"

Tophet got Ava through the door and headed for their quarters. The Captain said to Tophet, his jaw clenched. "I will speak to you in a little while. I hope you know they would have been killed if I had ordered one of those big guns to be fired when we were doing the drills."

Rachel took one look at the Captain and the way he was holding on to the children and marching them forward. She had never seen him like this. She opened the door to the lab and he took them right out. She started to follow him, but he said firmly, "No, Rachel. I will take care of this. I will speak with you later." On the way to his quarters, they passed a few crew members. They took one look at the Captain and the way he was holding his children and they hugged the walls to get out of the way. They knew those children were in big trouble.

The whole ship knew within minutes when the Captain left the bridge, what had happened and why the ship was at a standstill. They also knew what would have happened if they had done the drills with the children topside. They just shook their heads. The whole ship now would know how the Captain had marched his children into his quarters. He let go of Ashley's arm and opened the door to his stateroom. He cocked his head letting her Know,in no uncertain terms, that she was to enter his quarters first. She stepped in and Sam was forced to go next. The Captain stepped in after Sam and he turned around and closed the door behind him.

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About an hour later, the Captain went back up to the bridge. Lt. Granderson said, "Captain on the Bridge"

All those on the bridge had watched, holding their breath, as the Captain, Mike and Dr. Tophet had run out onto the deck and they had watched the coordinated rescue of the children, as they were pulled back across the deck and away from the edge. They saw how the Captain had each of his children by the wrist and how he had marched his son and daughter off the deck. They had heard how he had taken them right to his quarters. They all held their breath as the Captain turned to them and said, "I want to thank you all for your help in locating my children and Ava Tophet. You know what would have happened if we had not been alerted to them being topside. I want you all to know that this will not be allowed to ever happen again. As far as my children are concerned, I made sure that, as the old saying goes, 'The Board of Education met the Seat of Learning.' I must maintain discipline on this ship and my children will not be exempted. I cannot have children walking tours, nor did this situation fit a 'time-out.

Commander Slattery, at 1600, I want to have all crew and civilians on the aft deck, with the civilians and children at the front. I will be explaining what happened today and what the results would have been had the children not been found in time. I will go through the new rules for civilians. I want these rules posted in every group area on the ship and handed to every adult with family members on the ship. A Destroyer is a very dangerous place for children and for civilians. The whole crew must be vigilant of anyone who may not be where they are supposed to be. We will be finding more family members and bringing them to safety, but after all of that, we do not want them losing their lives on our ship. I am trying to make it possible for us, especially our families, to have a safe land base, but until that happens, we will have to make our homes on this ship. Just stay vigilant and make sure all of the children stay within the rules we have created for their safety."

XXX

That night, the children had their dinner with their father in the wardroom, along with Dr. Scott and Jed. Later, there were stories told all around the ship of how two children were having trouble sitting that night.

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It was pretty quiet at dinner. Both children were subdued and both had red eyes. They both realized now, how dangerous what they had done was. They knew how much their Dad loved them, even though he had to discipline them for what they had done. When they had finished eating their dinner, Ashley asked if they could go to their staterooms. Their father nodded and each came to him for a hug and a kiss, which he gave them. He ruffled Sammy's hair as he hugged him. Ashley said, "Daddy, we love you so much and we are really sorry."

Tom said, "I love you, too. I know you and Sammy are sorry, baby. I just hope that you both learned your lesson today."

Ashley nodded and said they had both learned the lesson. She then gave her Daddy another hug and he kissed the top of her head. The two children were then off to bed.

Rachel watched him watch his children leave the room. She could see how much he loved them and how sad his eyes were that he had to discipline them the way that he did. He could have had food brought to his quarters for them, but part of the discipline was that they would not be able to hide from what they had done, because the whole crew knew about it and what the Captain had done about it. He would not let them hide from the officers and whoever they met in the P-way. It would be a few days before the crew would forget about it, but he knew the children would remember the humiliation of having to face up to what they had done as well as the pain. He was pretty sure they would not be making another mistake like this anytime soon.

XXX

After the Captain had left the wardroom to have a short meeting with Dr. Tophet, Rachel and Jed were left alone. Rachel said, "He seems so sad, Jed. Why was he so rough on them? Was that really necessary?"

Jed said, "Rachel, do you think that was easy for him? You do realize that they could have all been killed, don't you? He had to do something that would really get through to them, something they would never forget. He had to do that because he loves them. He had to make sure they would never put themselves in that kind of danger again. That was the purpose of it and they know they were wrong and that he still loves them."

Rachel said, "Jed did you ever do anything like that to Tom when he was growing up?"

Jed laughed and said, "Are you kidding, Rachel? Of course I did. Do you think that he turned out to be the kind of man he is with no discipline? He was always a leader, even when he was a child and a teenager. He could think of more ways to get himself and of course, sometimes, others into trouble. I had to actually use my belt on his bare bottom a few times to get the point across. He never did anything illegal. I taught him to respect the law and his elders, but he was always daring and would try things that were sometimes dangerous. He would usually try the dangerous things himself, before he would get the others to try it. He broke a few bones that way. He was not easy, but I am so proud that he turned out the way he did. I have to admit, though, it was not without discipline.

If you discipline your child because you love them and want them to learn from it, you cannot do it out of anger. The one thing I never did was to discipline him out of anger. It was always made clear to him what he had done wrong and why he was being disciplined. Even when he disagreed at the time, he eventually saw that what he had done had been wrong. He always knew he was never disciplined just because I was angry about it. This way, he learned that his parents really cared about what kind of a person he would grow up to be. Oh, we had our disagreements and he would do things to spite me, sometimes, like joining the Navy, instead of the Army Rangers, like I had wanted him to do. What can I say? I raised a free thinking, fair minded, brave leader, who I am proud to say is my son. The fact that I had to discipline him when he was out of line, on occasion, built him into the man he is today. He wants the same for his children. He has not had to discipline them very much over the years, because he was often at sea, but Darien had a small wooden paddle hanging in the kitchen, which had printed on it, 'Heat for the Seat'. She did not have to use it often, but the children always knew it was there, in case they got out of line. As you can see, both those children were raised to respect their parents and their elders and they were never allowed to use vulgar language. They are good kids. There was always lots of love in that family, as there was in mine. All of my children received discipline when it was called for."

XXX

The Captain asked Dr. Tophet to come to his quarters. He told Tophet that he, as Captain, had to maintain discipline on his ship and that parents were responsible for the discipline of their own children. The Captain simply told Tophet what he had done with his children and that he hoped that Tophet had taken measures with Ava to make sure nothing like this would ever happen in the future, because her life could depend on it. Dr .Tophet assured the Captain that action had been taken with Ava, as well. The Captain wondered if his own idea of discipline was perhaps different from what Tophet considered discipline.

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After Rachel left the wardroom, she went to the Captain's quarters. He let her in and closed the door behind him. She looked into his eyes and went directly into his arms. "Oh Tom, you have had quite a day haven't you?'

He said, "Yes, I have. It was a rough lesson for my children to learn, but it will serve them well in their future.

How is Zack? I hope he is working on some of the things we had discussed about getting some of these people to that Island he has been talking about. They need to be safely away from the Nathan James. Children need to run and play and feel the sun on their faces. I understand that, but a destroyer is just so dangerous for children. We must find a way soon to get them to a land base that is safe."

Rachel said, "Zack is much better. He doesn't tell me what he is doing, but he was working with his computer today. He did look rather intent. I don't think he was scanning anyone. The only person who needs scanning right now is him. He should be able to leave sick bay by tomorrow."

Tom said, "I am glad to hear that Rachel. I hope he will have good news for me about some things I was able to discuss with him when he was in my quarters."

He looked down at her and kissed her as she looked up at him. "You feel like you belong in my arms, Baby Tiger. I want us to be together, but we have to be careful, now that Mike knows." He held her and caressed her back through her clothing. He said, "You are so beautiful, Rachel. I want us to be together in every way. I promise you, I will find a way."

Rachel said, "Oh, Tom, you know I will wait. I love you, Captain Thomas Chandler. I hope you know that."

Tom said, "I love you too, Dr. Rachel Scott."

He kissed her deeply and held her close to his body. They knew they could not be together tonight, but she remembered that he said he would make it happen and if there is one thing she knew, her Captain had a way of getting things accomplished.

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Hope you liked this chapter. Let me know one way or the other if you want

I want to thank Joys of October for doing the editing of this chapter.


	25. Chapter 25 A Night To Remember

Chapter 25 A Night to Remember

This chapter is classified as M for mature material in the last section..

Zack finally got his answer back from Naval Command on the Island. Naval Command had given Zack a green light on the Captain's request. They said it was about time that Captain Chandler be given the clearance to know at least part of the operation on the Island. They would be sending Kate Connolly, who would be in command of the aircraft, with a crew of 6. Her aircraft would have a total capacity of 20. This would be a small transport vehicle. As the Captain asked, this would be a craft which could have antigravity propulsion and cloaking capabilities. It was advised that it would be alright if the Captain flew the aircraft as long as Kate was always sitting beside him, after she briefed him on the differences between today's aircraft and the one he had been flying 13 years ago. This aircraft would be landing beside the Nathan James at 0600 tomorrow. It would be too big to land on the Nathan James, but would land in the water and would appear to be a sea going craft to anyone looking. It would land in the stealth or cloaked mode. It would then become visible.

As soon as they arrived, Kate and her Executive Officer will be transported to the Nathan James by a small transport boat which will be launched from her craft. She is now part of the new NASA/Naval Command with the rank of Lt. Commander. Lt. Commander Connolly will explain to Captain Chandler, Dr. Scott and any other officers in his command, about how we can help distribute the vaccine and the cure to all the areas that we can reach. Dr. Scott is also security cleared to know about the aircraft and its crew, including Lt. Commander Connolly. All of them will be working together in this. Kate will be letting them know what the Island has to offer the officers and crew of the Nathan James and Dr. Scott.

Zack had a meeting with Captain Chandler, in his quarters, 45 minutes later. When Zack was seated near the Captain's desk, in his quarters, he let the Captain know what Naval Command had decided to do. Needless to say, the Captain was excited that he could get some help and move ahead with his plans to get the families to safety. He was also wondering what it would be like to see Kate again after all of these years. Zack himself was interested in speaking with her again. He had no chance to do so at any length the last time he had seen her a few months ago. He was also excited at the prospect of seeing his boys again. It had been a long stretch, though he was not looking forward to coming back to the Island without their mother. He would have go thru that loss all over again with them.

The Captain let Mike know that Kate would be coming to the Nathan James tomorrow and he would want him to be on deck to meet her, along with himself and the Master Chief. They would take her to the wardroom for a private meeting first before letting the crew know what was planned. He wanted Dr. Scott and Commander Hayden there for that meeting as well. Now he needed to speak with Rachel about this.

XXX

He stopped by the lab and found her working as usual on the vaccine samples. She took a break when she saw him. She took him into her office area and when they were alone, he gave her a hug. She said, "Well you look very happy, Captain. You look like you have some good news. Tell me what has happened?"

He said, "Well, it seems Zack has connected with Naval Command on the Island and they are going to send an aircraft that will be able to help us locate more family members and get the vaccine to all areas faster. The aircraft will be here tomorrow morning at 0600. I want you to be waiting in the wardroom with Zack. Mike, the Master Chief and I will bring the pilot and her XO to meet with all of us in the wardroom. She will have a great deal to tell us about the Island and how this will all work. First of all, will you be available for that meeting?"

Rachel said, "Certainly, Captain. I wouldn't miss it. I can't wait to know more about this Island Zack has been talking about. He also said that this Kate would probably fly the aircraft here, is that right and Tom, is her call sign 'firefox 2'?"

He looked a little taken aback, "Yes to both questions. What has Zack told you about her?"

She said,"Zack said she is someone you both knew, 13 years ago, before either of you were married, but who and what she is was classified."

Tom said, "Yes, that is correct. According to Zack, Naval Command, however, said you have been cleared for the additional security so that you may know more about her. She is someone I used to work with when I was flying aircraft with antigravity propulsion. She was a civilian at the time working for NASA regarding the same aircraft propulsion and it's additional capabilities. You will learn more about that later. How about having dinner with me in the wardroom later, Rachel."

Tom tried to change the subject.

Rachel said, "I would be delighted to have dinner with you, Captain Chandler, as long as you will tell me more about Kate."

He said, " There really is not that much to tell, Rachel."

She said, "Oh, I think there is plenty more to tell, but there is not that much you want to tell me about her, Captain. Remember what you said about always being truthful with each other. At dinner this evening, I will see if you really meant that. Maybe, I should ask Zack about her.

He told me before, that he could not discuss her because I did not have the security clearance, but now that I do, perhaps he can answer some of my questions."

The Captain did not like her talking to Zack about his personal relationships, even if it was 13 years ago. Zack knew too much and Tom did not know how much he would tell Rachel, in particular if he was still trying to make headway with Rachel. He said, "Rachel, this is between you and me. It has nothing to do with Zack. Don't you trust me?"

Rachel said, "Of course I trust you, Tom. I just want to know what I am up against."

He looked down. "You don't have to worry. You are not up against Kate. I hope you will have a real friend in her. She will be here to get your vaccine out to as many people as possible. l hope I can keep her as a friend as well. See you later."

XXXX

During dinner, Rachel was quiet at first. Tom said, "Rachel, what is bothering you? Just get it out in the open."

She said, "What was Kate to you, Tom?"

He again looked down and took a deep breath before answering. "Rachel, Kate was an old girlfriend of mine, back when I was 28 and she was 21, before Darien and my children. Why are we even talking about her?"

Rachel blurted out, "If she is still not important to you, why were you so angry that Zack had her name in his scanner list and she has a call sign to this day that is 'firefox2', when your call sign was 'firefox1'? I am not stupid. I know you well enough to tell when you are upset about something."

They were alone in the wardroom, so he reached out and touched her face and looked at her, with a softness in his eyes, that was now becoming familiar to her. "Rachel, do you really think anyone could ever take your place with me. I love you and no other woman could change that. Kate and I were very close way back then. We worked together on the same project, but something happened and we were separated. I have not seen or heard from her since then. She was also married and has a boy about Sam's age, from what Zack told me. We both have a lot of things that have happened since we were together. When I see her again, we will be working to get our Nathan James families back and to safety. You are a part of that as well. You will be working with her, as well as Zack. I hope we will all be friends and work together as such. You are worried about her and you have not even met her. Rachel, honey, you have nothing to worry about. We both need to get a good night's sleep. I will see you to your cabin. "

Rachel had to trust him, but she still had questions about what had happened that broke them up. She knew she had pushed him as far as she could for now, but she was determined to find out more. She would find a way. She knew Tom loved her, but he hadn't seen this Kate for years and now they are going to meet again. How would he feel about her now?

XXX

The next morning was clear and calm. The sunrise had been something to see, as Tom, Mike and Master Chief stood on the deck of the Nathan James awaiting the arrival of the new aircraft or as it would seem, ship. They heard a humming sound on the Port side of the ship. They could see the ocean stirring and then ripple as if something had disturbed the water. Then a ship started to materialize before their eyes. This was not something new to the Captain, but even he was startled at the size or the ship. It did look more like an aircraft, but it was floating as if it was a ship. The shape was elongated and sleek, though it was quite large for a transport. It had no wings, but the bottom of the aircraft was flat and extended out on both sides about 8 feet. These flat sleek sides were rounded on the ends to give it aerodynamic design, as well as allowing it stability to float and to travel at a good speed underwater, like a sub. There was no deck, but an opening appeared on the starboard side about 6 feet above the water level. They heard a humming as a flat piece of metal started to emerge from the opening, slanting as a walkway to the water line. They saw an inflatable boat was pushed down the ramp into the water by two men in black uniforms, with insignias the captain was unable to see from this distance. He then saw two other figures coming down the ramp to the boat. He could see from the tight fitting uniforms, that the one with red hair was a woman. That must be Kate. The other was a man, following her down the ramp. They held what looked like helmets under their arms, such as one would wear to fly high speed aircraft. As the boat left the ship and started to move toward the Nathan James, the metal ramp receded into the ship and the opening sealed, almost as if it had not been there. Then the aircraft became cloaked again and was no longer visible. The Captain barked an order at the two sailors who were on the deck with them, both with their eyes about bulging out of their heads. "Stand where the ladders are located so they can see you!"

The Captain moved with Mike and the Master Chief to that area as well, awaiting their arrival. The Captain spoke to the two sailors. "This is top secret until I let the crew know about this later today. This is not to be discussed with anyone else in the crew until then. Is that clear?"

The two sailors said in unison, "Aye, Sir."

A few minutes later, Kate was helped aboard the Nathan James, along with her XO. Kate locked her green eyes with the ocean blue eyes she always knew so well. She could not believe that after 13 years, he was even more ruggedly handsome than the last time she had seen him. She and her XO saluted the Captain and Kate said, "Permission to come aboard, Captain Chandler?"

The Captain swallowed hard regaining control of himself as he recovered from the shock of seeing those stunning green eyes again after such a long time. He saluted them in return and said " Permission granted, Lt. Commander and welcome to the Nathan James."

She said, "Captain Chandler, it is so good to see you again."

He said, "It has been a long time, indeed, Kate. I see you are a Lt. Commander, now, though I am not familiar with your uniform insignias yet. These are new types of uniforms. You will have to tell us all about what is going on, now that everything seems to have changed. This is Commander Slattery, my XO and Master Chief, Jeeter."

Kate said, "Commander and Master Chief, it is my pleasure to meet you both. This is my XO, Lt. Commander Taylor."

The Captain said, "Kate, I would like to invite you both to come to our wardroom to meet with Dr. Scott and Commander Hayden. We hope you will join us for breakfast after that. Mike, you can lead the way. I will bring up the rear."

The Captain was trying to assess how much Kate had changed. She was even more beautiful than she was at age 21. Her long red hair was pulled back into a bun, as was the custom for women in the military. He missed the way she looked with it down, but he was actually happy she didn't have it down, as she certainly would be more distracting. Her black uniform which looked like a flight suit, fit her small perfect figure like a glove. It was similar to what he used to wear when flying this type of aircraft, because of the pressure, heat and cold, one could encounter if the pilot should ever have to bail out or if they should lose pressure or oxygen. The material looked to be some kind of synthetic that he could not recognize. She carried her helmet under her arm. It had visors for shading the eyes and he saw that it could attach to the top of a circular metal piece near the top of the flightsuit to seal it when necessary. He thought she must have some other type of uniform for being outside of the actual flying of the ship, something more comfortable and hopefully less revealing.

Mike led them all into the ward room, where Dr. Scott and Zack were waiting. The Captain said, "Lt. Commander Connolly, I would like you to meet Dr. Rachel Scott and you know Commander Hayden."

The Captain saw the long look Kate gave Zack, as she smiled and greeted him and then she was looking at Rachel. "Zack, it is good to see you again. Dr. Scott, I am honored to meet you at last. We have been keeping abreast of your incredible work here on the Nathan James and I just want to congratulate you on finding the cure and making vaccine on board this ship. You are absolutely amazing."

Rachel was taken aback by her seeming sincerity. She was assessing this woman and had to admit that she was absolutely stunning, even with her hair in a bun. Rachel looked up at the Captain, but he was looking directly into her own eyes in a very comforting manner, as if to reassure her of his loyalty to her. Rachel said, "Thank you for your kind words, Lt. Commander, but anything I did, I only did it with the help and support of the Captain and the crew of the Nathan James. They should be given a great deal of the credit."

Kate said, "Dr. Scott, please call me Kate, as we will be doing a lot of work together."

Kate was so excited to actually be meeting this woman who had saved the world and would be protecting all of them. She looked at her in awe. Kate was stunned at how beautiful Rachel was. She also noticed how Tom was looking at Rachel. It was pretty obvious that he had been working very closely with her, indeed. She smiled to herself.

Kate looked up at Zack and their eyes met, as they both recalled the last time they were together. His dark chiseled features gave him a somewhat mysterious look and she found him still as stunningly handsome as he was the last time they had met, months ago, but his green eyes now held a depth of sadness that had not been there before. His eyes searched hers and she smiled at him as they all stood by the table.

The Captain said, "Kate, if you don't mind, I would prefer that you sit at the head of the table on this occasion, since you will be the one who is doing most of the talking during this meeting."

Kate agreed. They all spread out around the table. An orderly served tea or coffee before he was dismissed by the Captain. The meeting was officially started. Captain Chandler started the conversation. "Kate, I have been told by Zack that you have direct word from Naval Command on the Island as to how you can help us with our mission to bring the cure and the vaccine, which Dr. Scott has found, to all in our own country and potentially the rest of the world. We have vaccine for all of your crew to start. I presume the Island needs vaccine for all residents there, as well?"

Kate looked around the table. "Naval Command has been following your progress and is very pleased at all you have accomplished, here, on the Nathan James, Captain Chandler. I have been sent here for several reasons. As you have asked, I will be using my aircraft to transport teams of your crew to areas where your crew's families may still be alive, so that we may transport them first to the Nathan James and then to the Island which is in the South Pacific. All members of your crew, a few at a time, will be transported to the Island for R&R to start, so that they can get their families settled there. Naval Command has a base there and the whole Island is self-sufficient. This Island has power, water, farms, plenty of food, schools and , shops. All clothing and uniforms are made on the island. The ultimate purpose of this island, which was designed long ago, before the virus ever affected the world, is still top secret, but because of the virus and the families of those already on the island, who need a safe haven, we have enough to house all of the families related to the crew on the Nathan James. We have enough work for all and it is a beautiful place to live. We have medical facilities and we will be creating a place where we can mass produce the vaccine that Dr. Scott has made. The location of this lab, however will not be on the Island. We do not want the Island to become a target. Because of this, we will not bring all of Dr. Scott's work to the Island. It will have to stay on the ship until we can locate the right place or places to mass produce it. We will want to bring all of you at this table to the Island as soon as I can arrange it. Of course we will need to bring enough of the vaccine to the Island to immunize our entire population and we could produce enough additional to help you make more for the time being, so that the ship is not the only place making it. We just don't want to be mass producing it there.

My aircraft, which is sitting off the port side of the Nathan James has a very advanced technology, which Captain Chandler is very familiar with. It runs on antigravity propulsion which means it can land like a helicopter. It can also fly at fantastic speeds. We arrived here from the Island in 30 minutes. This craft, as you saw, lands on water like a ship and can travel underwater as well as fly at the highest altitudes. The mission on the Island was designed as a NASA / Navy project which has been going on for 20 years. Your Captain, a number of years ago, used to fly the earlier versions of this aircraft for this project, in another location, though the Navy used it then, as a test model, to collect important information in war zones. These aircrafts were able to be cloaked or to become invisible. This was very valuable so that they could travel in a stealth mode. This capability will be very valuable in checking out the location of your crew's families.

All of the crew will need to be briefed on this technology and all of the crew will eventually be living on the Island with their families. They will be retrained in new technology so that they will be able to have vocations that will give them a way to support their families. I have a crew of 6 on my aircraft, but we can carry 20 total. If we take teams of your crew, Captain, we can quickly go to where people think their families are living, without letting anyone in that area know that we have an aircraft. When we find them, we can inject them with the vaccine or cure them, if they are infected. We would take them back to the Nathan James. They would then be set up to eventually be transported to the Island with the crew member who found them. We would allow your crew member to come with them to make sure they were settled in on the Island. They could see the quarters we have for families or singles and also the schools, etc. Then, after sufficient R&R, the crew member could be returned to the ship.

We still have need of the Nathan James to be part of the mission. You have been a target and we cannot afford to have the Nathan James to be tracked to the Island. When you have finished your mission, we can eventually have everyone on the Nathan James taken to the Island. We are going to be your land base, but you will have to be transported there by our aircraft, not the Nathan James itself. If the Nathan James was to keep coming back to the same location, it could eventually be tracked there. I will be speaking with you, Captain at length about all I am saying. I also will be speaking with you, Dr. Scott and Zack, regarding what you need to transport enough vaccine to the Island and how long it will take to make enough to do the job. In the mean time, we can plan joint missions to pick up family members."

The Captain said, "Kate, the first mission we would like to accomplish is to see if we can locate Commander Slattery's family. The last he heard they were in a safe area in Deer Park.

How long would it take to fly there on your aircraft, Kate?"

She said, "It would take about 30 minutes or less, Captain. How soon would you like to leave?"

The Captain said "We will have to set up a team and figure which medical person should accompany the mission. I will start working on it with Mike and our Seal team."

They continued the meeting with many more questions for Kate

The Captain asked Kate if she would like the other members of her crew to come to the Nathan James for breakfast and if they would need sleeping quarters. He said that once the crew had been briefed about their visitors, they would be welcome to use the recreational areas of the ship.

Kate thanked the Captain. She said she would be happy to give her crew members permission to come aboard. Her XO left for his own ship to collect the other crew members. She told the Captain that her aircraft was really a ship of sorts, with sleeping quarters for 20 and, a place for meals to be heated. It also had showers, though everything was smaller than the Nathan James. She said that they could sleep on their own ship, if the Nathan James did not have enough room. While they were at breakfast, Kate met Captain Chandler's children and his father.

She saw that both of Tom's children had their father's good looks. She looked at Sam and saw how he was his father's son. She told Sam that she had a son his age on the Island and that he would get to meet him soon. Sam was delighted at the idea of having someone to play with his own age. Zack told Sam that he could also play with his son, Chris, when they got to the Island. Sam was so excited. He couldn't help liking the pretty red haired lady with the smiling green eyes. After breakfast, Dr. Scott went back to the lab to check out her supply of vaccine.

The Captain took Kate up to the bridge to show her around. Suddenly she stopped and seemed to be having a problem with one of her eyes. She said, "Tom, I think I have a speck of something in my eye. Do you have a tissue and a mirror?"

One of officers heard her and got him a tissue for her.

He said "Kate, step out on the wing so I can look for it in the daylight. Let me see if I can find it."

He had her walk out onto the wing. He took her face in his hand and tilted her head so that the light was where he needed it to be in order to look into the white of her eye. He tilted his own head in order to see it better. He said, "Oh, I see it. Now don't move. Hold still."

She placed her hands on his chest, so she could push him away, if he started to hurt her. He leaned into her with the tissue and flicked the black speck out of her eye very gently and very slowly, so he wouldn't hurt her. He said, "Got it. I have it on the edge of the tissue. See it?"

He stepped back from her and handed her the tissue. She thanked him and looked at the speck. She said, "That could really have scratched my eye. Thank you so much Tom. You always had a very steady hand."

Lt. Granderson said, "Oh, Captain, Dr. Scott was just up here, but she saw you were busy with the Lt. Commander and she left suddenly. I guess she had things to do."

The Captain left Kate in Mike's hands and went to the lab to find Rachel. When he got there, he found her working on the vaccine. He said, "Rachel, Alisha said you had been up on the bridge, why didn't you say something?"

Rachel was very aloof and said, "Well, Captain, you seemed to be quite occupied with Kate.

I could not wait. I need to get enough vaccine to take back to the Island for the entire population. It may take a little time to get it all together. I really can't take time to speak with you right now."

He frowned. Why was she so cold? He said. "Well, what did you want to say to me?"

She said, "I just wanted to tell you, I will not have time to go to lunch or dinner with you. I am much too busy. I will be too busy to talk to you for an extended time. I'm sure you have plenty to keep you busy with Kate."

She sounded really almost angry and very cold and she just left him standing there, as she turned her back and headed for the enclosed lab. He wondered what the hell was the matter with her. He thought she would be excited about going to the island and being able to get her vaccine mass produced. He left to go back up to the bridge. He had too much to do to worry what was bothering her. He guessed she was in over her head with work.

He stopped by the wardroom and got a cup of coffee. He found Zack sitting with Kate, talking over their coffee. They did not look up as he came in and he did not want to disturb them. Strangely, he was actually somewhat relieved. At least she did not seem to be trying to get him alone. He hoped they could still be friends, but he had given Rachel his heart, though at the moment she seemed as cold as an iceberg. He met with Mike to see how they could plan who he should take as a team to Deer Park to bring Christine and the girls back to the Nathan James.

XXXX

Zack and Kate were sitting at the table in the wardroom. They were alone. Zack said, "Kate how did it seem to you to see Tom again, after all this time? Do you still have feelings for him?"

Kate looked directly into Zack's eyes. " Zack, it was great seeing Tom again. I hope we can be really good friends again, but what the Navy and NASA did to keep us from getting married was a wise decision. This way, I can still work with him, both now and after he finds out what they have planned for him, but we will not be involved like we were then. It would still not be the right thing to do."

Zack said, "But he is no longer married. Tom's wife died, Kate. He will want you back, I am sure."

She looked into his eyes and she touched the side of his face, tracing his strong jawline.

"Zack, how can you men be so blind? Haven't you noticed the way Tom looks at Rachel? He is clearly in love with her and she is definitely in love with him."

Zack looked at her with the strangest look in his eyes. "Tom is in love with Rachel? I thought you were in love with him and he would be in love with you, even after all these years...I thought he would be crazy not to be in love with …."

He was interrupted by the softest kiss on his lips. He reached out and pulled Kate into his arms and into a deep kiss full of the passion he had been holding within himself since he had seen her that morning. He still had feelings for her, so he thought Tom would certainly still have feelings for her. He was completely unaware that Tom was in love with Rachel. Now that he thought about it, he had just not wanted to see it. He remembered how Rachel held on to Tom's BDU Jacket, when she was in sick bay. All Zack knew right this minute was that he could not get enough of this kiss and he was on fire. Kate pulled back and said, "Zack, I have very strong feelings for you but we have some things that we need to talk about. Is there any place we can be alone?"

He said "We can go to my stateroom. I have it to myself at the present time. Do you want to … to…? "

Kate said, "Yes, Zack, but not until tonight. I will be assigned a stateroom on this ship tonight and you can take me to your stateroom, later. There are some things you need to know, some things I need to tell you, before you and I do anything."

Zack said, "Kate, what are you trying to tell me?"

She said, "Zack, I care about you and I have for a long time, but I cannot talk to you about it until we are alone tonight. Now is not the right time."

XXXXX

After Rachel did not come to the wardroom for lunch or dinner with Tom, Jed and the children, Tom was a little concerned. Jed said, "Alright, what have you done now, Tom? Why is Rachel avoiding you?"

He said, "She told me she had too much work to do to even talk to me and she would not be able to come to lunch or dinner, dad. She said that she knew I would be very busy with Kate."

His father said, "I cannot believe I raised you to be so dense, Tom. She is obviously jealous of Kate. For Pete's sake, go take her some dinner and don't leave there until she tells you what is bothering her."

Tom took his advice, though he felt a bit like the fool. He had told her he loved her and that she did not have to worry about Kate. Could she really be jealous of Kate? He stacked up a good amount of food and some tea and headed to the lab. He did not knock, but let himself into her office. He found her bent over some files. He said, "Rachel, I brought you some dinner, since you are so busy. There is even tea."

She didn't even turn around to greet him. "Tom, I told you I would not be having dinner with you. I am really too busy. You can just leave it."

Now, he knew his father had been right. She would not even look at him. He said, " Rachel, what is the matter? I know something is bothering you. Come to my quarters and we can talk."

She finally turned around to face him. " I have no desire to speak to you, Captain. I saw you kissing Kate. I can see you could not even keep your hands off of her! You don't have any problem hiding your actions with her from your crew! It was all a lie about you loving me. I saw you on the bridge kissing her, out on the wing!"

He responded in disbelief, "Rachel, she had something in her eye. I was just removing it with a tissue."

She said furiously, "Do you think I am a fool?. That is the oldest excuse in the book!"

He took her wrist and started to pull her toward the door of the lab. "Rachel, this is no place to discuss this. I want you to come to my stateroom right now and we are going to get to the bottom of this. If we are going to yell like this, it had better be in my stateroom, unless we want to air our differences in front of the entire ship."

Rachel was up for the fight. She was really angry now and she was not going to back down. She said, "Captain Chandler, I will come with you because I have a few choice words for you, but you will let go of my wrist. I will not be marched to your stateroom, like a child who is in for a spanking."

With that, he did let go of her wrist, but he walked behind her to his quarters. He reached around her and opened the door. She stepped through and he followed her, closing the door behind him and locking it. He did not want any interruptions.

He turned around to face her. He could see her eyes were filled with fire and she was furious with him. She glared at him, "If you want Kate, I am not going to stop you. She had her hands on your chest and you were holding her face in your hands. I saw all of that. You were leaning in so close to her. I could not believe you were so unaware of anything but her, you kissed her right there where anyone on the bridge could see it."

He answered, "Yes, now that alone should tell you I am telling you the truth about the speck in her eye. Do you really think I would kiss a female subordinate officer, in uniform, on the bridge in front of 12 other people. She had something in her eye. She had her hands on my chest to push me away, in case what I was doing to get it out of her eye might hurt her. I had to hold her face at a particular angle so I could see the speck. Good God, Rachel, you still do not believe me?...Alright, that does it. I will have to show you how I feel about you! It does not seem that you will believe me otherwise."

With that, he picked Rachel up in one fell swoop. She was as light as a feather in his strong arms. She was kicking and beating his chest with her hands. "How dare you, Thomas Chandler. You let me down this instant, do you hear me?"

He said, "With you acting like a spoiled brat, not even listening to reason, I should just turn you over my knee and spank you!"

She screamed at him. "You wouldn't dare."

He said calmly, "Oh, I would dare, but I have something else in mind for you right now, Baby Tiger."

With her still struggling, he walked directly to his bed and dropped her on it. In an instant he was on the bed with her, on his knees, straddling her waist. She was struggling beneath him.

He grabbed both of her wrists and transferred them into one hand, so he was holding both of her wrists over her head, against the bed. His body towered above her. "Rachel, this is not the way I want our first time to be. I wanted it to be slow and easy. I want to explore every inch of your beautiful body. I want to memorize each curve and know that you are mine."

He bent down and gave her short kisses down the side of her neck, taking extra care at the bottom of her neck where it met her shoulder. She shivered with pleasure, despite her desire to fight him. He reached down to the bottom of her short top and raised it above her bra. He caressed her abdomen running his fingers with feather light strokes in circular motions over her smooht delicate skin. She writhed with pleasure under his sensuous touch. He caressed her breasts through the thin material of her bra. He felt her nipples were firm. He gently lifted her bra up above her breasts, leaving them bare to his gaze. They were so beautiful, two white orbs with the rosebud nipples ripe for kisses. He bent down and gently swept the pointed tip of his tongue in circular motions around each delicious bud as they became even more taut. He sucked gently on each, causing her to arch her back to get closer to him, as he held her between his legs. He pulled back and he knew now was the time he needed to speak to her.

"Rachel, I need for you to listen to me. Are you listening, Rachel?"

She nodded. He could see that she did not want him to stop and it was very difficult for him to hold himself back, but this had to be said, before they went any further. "I wanted you to know that I will always be here for you, that I love you, Baby Tiger. I will always love you. I can get through whatever storms may come our way, as long as I know you are at my side. I need to know that you love me as well. That means you must trust me. I would gladly fight to the death for you and our children, all of them. You must promise me, that you will never again doubt my love for you, Rachel, because I do not give my love lightly."

He looked down at her, knowing it may be the last time they would ever be together. He bent down and kissed her forehead and caressed her face softly as he said with a ragged hitch to his tone, "Rachel, if you still want to leave me, I will not stop you. Having just pledged my life, and my love to you, I have nothing left to give you."

He released his vice-like grip on her wrists, which he had still been holding against the bed above her head.

She had heard every word he had spoken and sat up and she reached her arms out to him, her hands gently caressing his face, as he bent his head toward her. He could smell the wonderful vanilla scent of her hair. Her fingers played with the short hair near the back of his neck and he she placed her soft lips against his, open to him as was her heart. His tongue thrust deep into her mouth, meeting her own, as they both held each other with only one thought in their minds. She said, "Oh,Tom, my love, are we really going to be together tonight? Are you sure you are ready? I told you I would wait, but can it really be tonight, all night?"

He whispered softly, as he flicked his tongue all around the outer edges of her ear. "Yes, Baby Tiger, all night, but only if you pledge never to doubt me again."

Rachel held his face in both of her hands and looked deep into the depths of his blue eyes. "Yes, Captain Thomas Chandler, I promise never to doubt you again. Now, Captain, let me help you out of your BDUs. I want you naked and that is an order."

Clothes went flying as they quickly undressed each other. Rachel was happy that she had just showered and changed clothes shortly before the Captain had come to the lab. She had Tom's shirt and undershirt off and he had made short work of removing her top and bra. He pulled her to him feeling the softness of her breasts against the hard smooth contours of his chest.

She reached down under his belted pants and boxers letting her fingers caress the skin down his lower abdomen. She had already felt his readiness when his body was pressed against her stomach. She heard his sharp intake of breath as he felt her hand exploring his lower regions She unclasped his regulation belt and his stomach tightened as he felt her fingers against the skin of his belly as she unbuttoned and slowly unzipped his pants. She slid his pants down his legs and he stepped out of them, kicking them aside. She placed her hands on either side of his hips, underneath his boxers and slid her hands down his legs, bringing his boxers down with them. He could feel her hands as they slid down his body as his shorts were brought to his ankles, uncovering his ample length. His body was magnificent, as she remembered from the first time she had seen him naked, but now he was clearly ready for her and she could not wait to feel him inside of her.

He unbuttoned and unzipped her slacks and they dropped to her ankles and she kicked them away. As he slowly lowered her lace panties, he planted a kiss on her navel which sent waves of pleasure through her lower body. She kicked off her panties and they stood in front of each other each relishing the view of the other. Then he took her into his arms and they fell into his bed and experienced the wonderful feeling of being totally naked. They fit together like a glove. She knew how ready he was, so she did not want to make him wait too long, but she wanted to let him know that she could make him very happy. She was on the bottom, but she rolled him over so she was now on top. She straddled his waist and said, "Now, it is my turn, Captain Chandler."

He said laughing, "Dr. Scott, what are you going to do to me?"

She said, "You will have to tell me if you like it."

She slid between his legs. She took his length in her hand and she took the tip of it and put it into her mouth, flicking it with the point of her tongue. She then licked the entire length from the tip to the base and back again, very slowly, as she relished every inch of it's smooth texture.

He could not believe how good it felt. He groaned in pleasure as she took his length into her mouth and moved it slowly and sensuously in and out, using the point of her tongue to flick all around it. He was thrusting upward into her mouth. She then raised herself, straddling his body and positioning herself with the tip of his manhood and slid herself down his shaft as he thrust himself into her. She rode him as he bucked beneath her like a stallion. He placed his hands on her tiny waist and guided her ride. He moved his hands upward. He marveled at the soft, smooth texture of her breasts, as his hands skillfully caressed them. He rolled her over and she wrapped her legs around his hips and arched her back as he plumbed the treasure of her silky depths. He felt her walls closing around his shaft and he moved his hips in a circular motion, as she matched his movement with her own, in a perfect rhythm. He drew himself out and then thrust back in hard. He reached between their bodies and found her clit and rubbed hard and fast as he thrust into her faster and with more intensity. He could hear her breathing becoming more erratic as she was drawn closer to the edge. She screamed "Oh god...Tom,.. yes...,harder...oh yes…." and then he felt her whole body shudder again and again. At the same instant, his seed exploded into the smooth silken reaches of her body, with all of that ecstasy of sensation that they both were experiencing, as they went over the cliff together. He could feel her walls fluttering over and over around his pulsating shaft. He groaned as they lay together with him still inside of her. They were at last as one, in every way. He felt his love for her so strong and he held her ever closer to him. He could only think of how much he wanted endless nights of exploration yet to come and this night was still young. " I love you, Baby Tiger."

Rachel snuggled closer to his body. She could feel his heartbeat slowing down as was her own. She sighed as she said, "Oh God, how I love you, Thomas Chandler. I will always love you."

She knew that only in the arms of this man would she ever feel truly complete.

TBC

Please drop me a line to let me know how you like the story. I always love to hear what you all think.

Thanks to MorningGlory 2 and to Joys of October for their input and editing skills.


	26. Chapter 26 Deer Park

Chapter 26 Deer Park

For any who have not read the previous Chapter 25 A Night to Remember, please do so, as you may not understand how this chapter happened, without it.

Thanks to Morningglory 2, Joys of October for their editing and input and also Scousedancer for her medical expertise.

Rachel opened her eyes and was immediately aware of the warmth of his body pressed so close to hers. His arm was lying protectively across her lower abdomen. She looked over at her sleeping Captain. God, how she loved him with all of her being. She snuggled into him and he instinctively adjusted and held her closer. She felt so protected in his arms. This was the first night they had ever spent together and she would always remember it. They had spent it making love several times over, until they had finally fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning. As if he felt her thoughts, his eyes opened and she filled herself with the intensity of the love his cerulean eyes bestowed upon her. Her naked body felt so good against his. He did not want to move, lest he break the spell. He said, "Baby Tiger, I don't want to get up. I wish we could just stay here all day."

She smiled and kissed his lips so softly. "I don't want to get up either, my love, but I don't think we have a choice. You have to be on the bridge and I have to be at the lab, getting doses of the vaccine ready to take to Deer Park and also to the Island. Do you think you can get things ready to go as early as today, to Deer Park?"

He said, "If you can get enough vaccine ready, I am certainly going to try. I want to go with Mike, myself. Maybe Zack can come with us as medical officer."

She said, "He went on the last trip and got bitten by the spider. I want you to let me go this time. You will be with us, so you can protect me if that is what you are worried about."

He said, " Rachel, you know how I feel about risking you. I will take Zack and that is final."

She said, "Tom, are you going to make me argue with you after the night we just had together. How dangerous can it be?. We will have the aircraft to take us back to the ship within 30 minutes of when we are ready to leave there. We will also have Kate's crew. At least think about it, okay, my love?"

He looked down and then said, " Ok, I will think about it, but whatever I decide will be the way it will be, alright?"

She started to get up and said laughing, "Aye, sir," saluting him in a saucy manner, turning to walk away from the bed.

He snapped back, laughing, swatting her backside . "Now, don't you shake that pert little bottom in my face and think you are going to get your way, you little minx. I am still the Captain of this ship. You try that again and you will end up right back in this bed!"

She quipped, looking back over her shoulder at him. "Is that a promise Captain?"

He sprang out of the bed and she found herself in his arms before she could say another word. He kissed her soundly. "That is a promise, Baby Tiger! God, I could get used to this. Unfortunately, I am due on the bridge and you are due in the lab. Let's get our showers done and we can meet for breakfast, before we go on duty. My dad and the kids will probably be there too. I didn't get a chance to say goodnight to them last night. I will just tell them I had to turn in early. That is true isn't it, sweetheart?"

She said, "Oh that is very true, indeed, Captain."

She got her clothes on and he put on his sweatpants and T-shirt for the showers. He stepped outside his quarters and made sure the coast was clear for her to leave his quarters without being seen. He opened the door and she stepped out into the P-way and was headed for her cabin. He went to the showers, knowing she would be on her way there, herself, within a few minutes. They both had to get there before the scheduled times began for the crew to shower.

He hurried to finish his shower, so she would have ample time for hers. As he left the showers, headed for his quarters, he passed her in the P-way. He nodded to her as they passed and he whispered, "See you at breakfast, Baby Tiger."

XXXX

The Captain met his father and the children in the wardroom, before all the other officers arrived. Sam said, "Dad, you forgot to come and say goodnight to us before we went to sleep last night."

Tom gave his dad a knowing look and his father knew exactly what happened. "I am sorry, guys. I was really wiped out after the day we had yesterday. I actually went to bed early, last night. It wasn't something I had planned to do."

Jed said with a quirky little smile, "Well, Tom, it looks like you had your hands full last night."

Tom gave his father a big smile and said, "I sure did, Dad, but it all turned out just fine."

Jed said, "I am glad to hear that, Tom."

Ashley said, "Oh, Rachel's here. Rachel, come join us!"

Rachel said, "Well, good morning Ashley and of course, I would love to have breakfast with my favorite family."

Tom, Jed and Sam stood up and waited for Rachel to seat herself. She and Tom gave each other a quick look, afraid to show too much. Neither had dinner the night before, so both were famished. She spoke to the children about their school lessons and what they had learned yesterday. They were happy to fill her in. After they had finished breakfast, Tom said that he would be speaking with her about the vaccines they would need for the trip. They locked eyes before they each went their separate ways.

Jed was watching the two all throughout breakfast and noticed that things were certainly different between them, even though they were trying to hide it. They couldn't hide it from him. He knew his son. Neither Tom, nor Rachel could stop smiling, even though sometimes it was only a turning up of the corners of their mouths. Jed stopped Tom before he left the room. " I see you took my advice and was I wrong?"

Tom looked at his dad, sheepishly grinning. "No, Dad, you were absolutely right. Things happened a little sooner than I had planned, but some things could not be put off any longer. Let's just say we came to an understanding last night. Thanks for keeping the kids from coming to my quarters. The door was locked."

Jed said, "I told them you had a big day with Kate coming in with her crew and you were done in, that you must have fallen asleep."

Tom said, "Thanks Dad. I really did have my hands full, literally."

Jed gave his son a knowing smile. "I thought that was the case when you did not come back last night."

XXX

Tom was met with the "Captain on the Bridge" announcement, as he walked onto the bridge that morning. He was a little early and went out onto the wing to take in the morning sea air. It was a beautiful day and the sky was clear. He smiled to himself as he took a deep breath. God, he felt so good this morning. He had good news for the crew yesterday and he knew good things would be happening for many of them, soon. He knew some might find that their families were all dead, but even if one member had survived, it could give them hope. If not, then the family of the Nathan James would have to fill in for their loss. There would be new people to meet on the Island and this could help still their sadness. There was nobody he knew that had not lost someone. Even though it would be a while before they would really be able to permanently find new homes, they would at least know that there was one for them out there. The Nathan James would be needed for a while yet, but at least they would be able to have some R&R time, away from the ship from time to time.

Behind him, he heard the announcement of "XO on the bridge". Mike joined him out on the wing. "Good morning, Tom." He looked at the Captain and saw something different in his stance. He was standing a little taller and his eyes had a look of excitement in them. He was relishing the day, rather than looking like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Tom was smiling as he looked into the eyes of his friend. "Well, Mike, are you ready to go get your family?"

Mike had hoped, but never thought it could be arranged so fast.

The Captain said, "Let's set up a meeting with all needed to get this thing on the road. This would of course include Dr. Scott, Kate, Zack , Tex and our Seal team with you, me and the Master Chief. If it is possible, I would like to do this today or tomorrow. Kate said that it will only take 30 minutes to make the trip to Deer Park, but I don't know if she has to clear things with her home base. Since it should not be a long trip, I would like to come with you myself."

Mike was extremely excited. He had not slept that much last night, knowing that their first mission with Kate's transport would be to find his family. He hoped Dr. Scott had enough vaccine, since he knew one of Kate's priorities was to get vaccine to the people on the Island.

He made arrangements very fast. Everyone on the list was at the meeting in the wardroom. The Captain had cleared it with Kate and both she and her XO were at this meeting. After discussion, it was decided that they could leave at 1400. Kate said that her crew members were all combat trained. She herself, as pilot, would remain on the ship with one other crew member, while everyone else would be available to go outside the ship on the mission. Some doses of the vaccine could be carried with the medical person selected to go, plus Mike would have a supply for his family. . It was decided that since Zack only had one of the scanning computers, he should stay on the ship and scan them from a distance. Zack made a note to tell headquarters that he needed to train Rachel and to get a second computer programed with the scanning programs. Then they would be able to take a scanner with them when they went on a mission.

The Captain reluctantly gave Rachel permission to come on this mission, as long as he was going himself, he knew he wouldn't let her out of his sight.

All members of the mission were on the deck of the Nathan James at 1330 and taken aboard Kate's transport in short order. None of them had been inside her ship, until now. They were all amazed at the size. There were lines of seats along the walls of the ship. It was very compact. They were given a very quick tour so they would know where the head, the sleeping quarters, the wardroom and the cockpit were. Tom was fascinated with that. He wanted to fly in the copilot's seat, so he could watch every move Kate made.

Rachel was no longer worried about Kate. The Captain had proven himself with his statements of love and commitment last night. She knew him well enough to know he had not been lying then and that no matter what Kate did, they would be only friends. She had also noticed how Kate had looked upon leaving Zack behind. There was something between them, but she could not put her finger on it.

Kate showed Rachel a place to store the vaccine, her equipment and their combat gear. The SEALS ,Tex and the Captain from the Nathan James had on combat gear and bullet proof vests. Kate's men wore their black flight uniforms with combat gear on top. They wore helmets, as did the men from the Nathan James. The Seals uniforms were a little different, but they all definitely looked military. Kate told everyone to strap in, which they did. The crew on the bridge and on deck saw Kate's ship materialize and rise straight up into the air, right out of the water. It hovered there for 30 seconds and they saw it just fade from view as it went into stealth mode.

Inside the transport, the Captain was in the cockpit and felt the thrill of being in the air again, traveling at extremely high altitudes and speeds. He couldn't wait to be updated. Kate had not had time to brief him from scratch, but she was showing him what she could as they were in flight. She could feel how excited he was to be behind the controls again. Of course, he was not yet sitting in the Captain's seat on this aircraft and would not be until she could give him more detailed instruction. He asked if he could bring Rachel up to the cockpit, so she could see the view they were seeing. Kate laughed and told him by all means to bring her up. She smiled to herself, knowing now, for sure, that she had been right about Tom's relationship with Rachel.

Tom, went to get Rachel and brought her forward. He had her sit next to Kate in the seat he had just occupied. Rachel couldn't believe the view she was seeing. They were so high up, that she could see the the continents below her and then they were already beginning to descend. The time went by so fast and they were already almost there. After Rachel had her time, the Captain brought Mike forward. He was so thrilled to see them getting closer to where his wife and girls were hopefully safe. Both he and Tom had huge smiles on their faces and Kate was so happy to be part of this mission to get the families back and to save people with the vaccine.

A few minutes later she told Tom to get everyone back into their seats and have them strap in and he could take the seat next to her to watch how she would find a place to land. They got the location and were getting readings of human life below, heat signatures. That was a very good sign, indeed. Tom said, the screens were detecting about 143 in all. She looked for a clear area within the area where many of the people were. Her ship was still in stealth mode but she needed a field or a park or some clear area. Tom spotted an area below. It looked like a park with trees all around so they would have some cover, since she could not see heat signatures nearby.

She said, "We can land here and probably not be seen. I don't see anyone really close. You can walk to those buildings over there. There are people in there. You can use blow horns to get their attention. I will uncloak and you will be able to unload. We don't know if these people are armed. Remember keep in close radio contact with me. I can even come to you in the air, if you get in trouble and I can drop lines to you, if you cannot get back to me in the park. Hopefully all will be safe."

The Captain got all of their men and Rachel off the ship and heading toward the buildings. The ship behind them went into stealth mode and they had their guns drawn, just in case they came upon hostile forces. The Captain raised the bull horn to his lips and yelled. "Attention Deer Park, this is Commander Thomas Chandler, United States Navy. We are here to help you. We have heard you have a SAFE ZONE here and we have the vaccine for the virus. We are looking for Christine Slattery and her two daughters. I have Commander Michael Slattery with me. We came inland to try to locate his wife and daughters. Please have one of your leaders come out to speak with us. We are here in peace. We have no desire to hurt anyone. We are not infected. In fact, we are now all immune as you will soon be."

He heard Kate in his earphone. "Captain, be careful, all of the heat signatures in that building have spread out in a single line on the side of the building facing you. It looks like they may be preparing to defend the building. There is one heat signature coming out of the building."

He heard a man's voice yelling from the building, "Commander, this is Captain Morris of the Deer Park Police. We want to believe you, but we have had many people who have tried to fool us into getting into our SAFE ZONE. How are you inside of our compound?"

The Captain answered, "We came by way of a very advanced aircraft which lands like a Helicopter, but has very little sound. The best way for you to know we are who we say we are, is for you to have Christine Slattery come forward. I will have Commander Slattery, her husband, step forward to meet her. She knows about our mission to find a cure, which we have done. Do you know where she is?"

The Police Captain said, "Yes, I have sent someone to bring her here. It will take about 20 minutes."

Tom said, "Are you comfortable enough for me to step forward to speak with you in the meantime. I can show you my ID and you can show me yours. I know you have all of your people up against the walls ready to shoot us, but you are not in any danger from us. We are trying to get our families back and immunized, along with whoever else may be in your Safe Area. We also have a cure if you have anyone newly sick. They might be saved. The sooner you trust us to speak with you the sooner we can help you."

The man said, "What is the ship you are from? I know Christine and I need to know what ship you are from."

The Captain said, "Our ship's name is the USS Nathan James, a Destroyer. Does this ring a bell, Captain?"

He said, "Alright Captain Chandler, could you please have Mike Slattery come toward us. I have one of his daughters, Tiffany, with us. She has been working in my office. She is closer than her mother, so we just brought her here."

Tom, motioned for Mike to move forward, leaving his gun behind. He took his helmet off, so he could be recognized. A beautiful young girl about 16 years old with dark flowing hair ran out of the building. "Daddy, oh my God, Daddy, is that you?"

Mike ran toward her with his arms open. "Tiffany, oh yes, baby, it is me. I came to get you girls and your mother. You are going to come back to the ship with us." She threw herself into her father's arms. He picked her up off her feet and swung her around.

After this, all of the people in the building started coming out to greet them. Tom started letting more of his men come forward. They kept their guns down. The townspeople could see they were military. Rachel came forward and was introduced to the police chief by Captain Chandler. Mike's beautiful wife, Christine, arrived in short order along with Mike's other daughter, Hannah, about 14 years old, a stunning blonde. Christine approached Mike almost in disbelief. He walked to her and pulled her into his arms. He could not believe how good she felt in his arms. He was apologizing for not being here for them sooner, but he told her they had the cure and they would immunize everyone. She was crying, as were the girls, all hugging their Daddy. He took Christine aside and spoke with her at length to see if she and the girls would come with them to the ship. She agreed and he asked where they lived and what they would want to bring with them. He asked if there was any open area near there. She said that there was because they lived in a rural area. He told the Captain and he said they could land the ship there, so they could load their things right into the transport ship and would not have to go collect it. Mike made sure all of his family received the vaccine immediately and then led them back to Kate's transport, which immediately took them aboard and they relocated to a field near where they lived.

Rachel asked if they had any area where she could set up a place where they could give people the vaccine. She asked if they had any medical people available. He told her that most of the medical people had been the first to respond to the sick, so very few of them survived, but that some of their people knew first aid and could give injections. She wanted to leave vaccine for them, so they would be able to immunize any new people coming to their Safe Zone. He said they could use this building. He invited them inside and he showed her where there were long tables. She told him to spread the word that they were here so people could come. His own people started lining up. She took out the injections she had with her and told some of Kate's men to bring more from the ship. Captain Chandler was keeping close by her side. He was also helping with the injections. Word spread fast and lines of people were coming in from all the areas of the Safe Zone.

The Police Captain asked Tom if he was telling the truth about being able to help sick people. He said their were some at the edge of town who had tried to come in, but were refused. They were camped out about 2 miles from the fence. They would not let them come any closer than that. Tom told Rachel about them and she said she had enough "Cure" serum to give to the ones that were sick.

She said, "Tom I will have go to them."

Tom said, "We will have to go to them. I am not leaving your side, Rachel."

They took two Seals with them and a couple or Kate's men and took care of the sick in short order. The Seals stood back with their guns ready in case of any trouble. It did not take long to give them the serum. Rachel told them that people from the town would come to help them and that they would start feeling better within a few hours. By this time the transport already had Mike and his family aboard, with all of the things that had been loaded up from where they had been living. Kate got everybody back to the park so they could get back and help with the remaining townspeople. By now, they were almost finished. Tom and Mike had taken off their combat vests in order to work with the people better.

Tom was helping the last of the townspeople to get the vaccine. They left extra for the sick who might come into the town afterwards. Rachel got a promise from the Police Captain, that they would help the sick people outside their town to recover after they had received the Cure. Just as they were starting to wind down a man ran toward them, looking rather distressed. He started screaming . "You Goddamn military keeping the cure from all of us until now. My wife and children are already dead! It is your fault. You did not come soon enough!"

Rachel said, "I am so sorry about your family. We did not have it before now. We had to find the Cure. It took time."

He said, "No, you are lying. It was all over the news that the government was holding it back from us and you had it all the time. You are going to pay for that."

He pulled a knife from under his belt and rushed toward Rachel. The Captain grabbed Rachel and pushed her behind him as he took on the huge burly man with his bare hands. He grabbed his arm, deflecting the blow, slightly, but was not able to stop the trajectory of the blade before he had slashed down with the knife and caught the Captain in the ribcage. He felt the searing pain and his warm blood flowing from it. The Captain struggled with him, but he was losing blood, as he fought him. Just as the man lunged again at the Captain, Danny and Burk tackled the man from behind, throwing him off balance. His full weight hit the Captain, who was thrown sideways, striking his head on the corner of the main table, where he fell to the floor unconscious.

XXXX

The Captain became slowly aware of shouting and commotion all around him.

He heard Danny saying, "He is regaining consciousness. Captain…. It is Danny…. You need to lie still…. Sir!… Listen to me Sir, .. Sir, you are going to be alright. Captain, stay with me….Sir….Look at me!"

Tom was trying to focus his eyes, "Rachel…...Is she alright?...Danny... answer me!….Is she alright?"

Danny said, "Yes, Captain, she is fine. Captain…..Sir….you can't get up now… You need to lie still….Burke..give me a hand with him…. .Look at me, Sir... How many fingers am I holding up?"

The Captain said, "I don't care how many goddamn fingers you have...Let me up….I told you to let go of me!... Danny…..That's an order!…... Where is Rachel?…. I need to find her."

He tried to sit up and then he heard Rachel yell. "Danny hold him down. Burke, keep the pressure on those wounds. I need to check them out….. Did you hear me, Danny?... Don't let him move!"

Danny, did not argue as he held the Captain down. Burke was putting pressure on the Captain's ribs, to keep him from losing any more blood. They had gotten him back onto the aircraft and he was lying on a table in the mess area, which had been cleared for that purpose. A pillow was placed under his head.

Mike had contacted Kate and told her to get back to the main area and land as close as she could to where they were, because the Captain was injured. She landed it close and their people had gotten the unconscious Captain onto a stretcher and were rushing to get him into the aircraft, even though it was now in clear sight. They needed to get the Captain back to the ship, but Rachel had to stabilize him first. Now that he was regaining consciousness, he was giving Danny and Burke a hard time by wanting to get off the table.

Rachel took control of the situation. Looking directly into his pain filled blue eyes, she yelled at him, "CAPTAIN….YOU STOP THAT THIS MINUTE!..DO YOU HEAR ME?... I want you to lie still. Tom...I am right here with you….I am fine, but I need for you to lie very still for me. I am going to check out your wounds. Just take it easy, now. You hit your head and you are not thinking too clearly. Stay still for me, love...Okay?.. Don't move…That's it. Tom…...that's it," she placed her hand gently on his jaw line.

Danny and Burke looked at each other. They had never heard anyone speak to the Captain in that manner before and certainly no one ever dared to try to calm him down when he was angry.

The Captain mumbled, "Rachel...are you alright?...I….blacked out….my head….It is not safe for you here. We need to get back to the ship…..I need to get you ….back to…..back..to...

His voice started to fade as he started to lose consciousness again. Rachel said sharply, "Tom!….Captain!... Stay with me….I need you to stay awake!….Remember you hit your head….Now, stay with me Tom,... do you hear me?"

She told Danny to keep talking to him.

She yelled at one of Kate's crew, "Get me some ice with a cloth."

She opened Tom's blood soaked BDU Jacket. Danny and Burke got it off of him. She cut his T- shirt down the middle and they got that off as well. She now had clear access to his abdomen and chest. She started to clean the blood from around the wound. His ribcage had stopped the blade from going into his stomach or other organs, but he had a good-size knife wound which would need some suturing. She got out her medical bag and applied pressure bandages to his wound. It would take too long to suture him here and she didn't have any local anesthetic for the pain. She did not want him to go into shock. She told Kate to contact the Nathan James to have Dr. Rios and Zack on the deck when they landed and be ready to receive the Captain. She told her to have Zack scan for concussion and any blood clots on his brain and treat him for shock. She hoped he was already doing so, because he could see that the Captain was in a physical stress situation. His head wound was really worrying her. After she had stopped most of the bleeding with the pressure bandages, she looked up to his face and his eyes were open. Danny was putting cold cloths on his face and talking to him as she cleaned him up and he was not struggling to get up any longer. She'd seen his jaw clench and she heard him gasp as he tried to stifle the groan that escaped as he was trying not to cry out from the pain of what she was doing.

She said, "Tom, can you hear me? I am sorry …. I know I am hurting you, but it cannot be helped. It will only be a little while longer."

He said, breathless from the pain, "Rachel, goddamnit.…... What are you doing to me?... Tell me what is going on!...I don't need ice. Rachel, I am not going to sleep. I don't have a fever. Danny, get that cloth off my face!"

Rachel was happy to hear him speaking with more clarity and she knew he was getting angry. She did not think he would fall asleep. She began to feel better about his head injury, but she would watch him very closely over the next 24 hours.

She said, "Okay, Danny, no more ice. Tom, you are sounding much more alert. That is good. I just put pressure bandages on your wounds to stop the bleeding. You were lucky. The knife struck your ribcage and did not hit any vital organs. You are going to be fine. We should be back on the Nathan James as soon as I get you squared away. I know you are in pain, but I will be able to give you something for that when we get back to the ship."

She asked him how many fingers he saw as she held up 2. He said. "They are a bit blurred. I think you have up only 2, but it almost looks like 4."

She said, "That is what I thought. I think you have a concussion. I will need you to stay awake for an extended time so we can bring you out of that. You will not be able to go to sleep tonight, but you will survive. Danny, can you and Burk get him to that bunk over there? I will follow you."

Danny and Burk got the Captain up and he put his feet down on the floor and they supported him as he tried to walk, but he collapsed. They carried him to the bunk and got him down onto it. Rachel and Danny secured the straps. The Captain had closed his eyes, but Rachel yelled at him to stay awake, that they were taking off.

When they were in the air, Tom said, "Rachel, you said I will be alright. When we get back, I know I will be stronger. I need to be on the bridge. Mike has his family back and will need to be with them."

Mike, who was strapped into a seat nearby said, "I heard that Captain and I will be fine on the bridge. I know my family is here at last and alive. We will have plenty of time together. "

Rachel said firmly, "No, Captain. There will be no bridge for you for a couple of days at least. You have also lost a lot of blood."

He said, still gritting his teeth against the pain, "Well, I will see about that, Dr. Scott. Dr. Rios may think otherwise, or if not him, I will see Zack and he will give me the clearance to go to the bridge later today."

Rachel looked at him, laughing. "Are you telling me you no longer want to be in my care, Captain?"

His stormy blue eyes locked with hers and he did not answer that question, but she got the look that passed between them loud and clear. He most definitely would like to be in her care, but he was the Captain, the one who should be in charge and he did not like being incapacitated in any way when they were together. He was most definitely the most stubborn man she had ever met. He was going to fight her all the way, but his Baby Tiger was going to be the stronger one now, whether he liked it or not.

TBC


	27. Chapter 27 Return From Deer Park

Chapter 27 Return from Deer Park

I want to sincerely thank Joys of October, Scousedancer and MorningGlory2 for their wonderful editing help in this Chapter.

Returning to the Nathan James, the Deer Park mission crew could see a 20 strong party awaiting them, including Dr Rios and Zack. In order to ensure a smooth transfer of the rescue pod back to the destroyer, Kate landed the aircraft as close as she could to the Nathan James. Using a pulley & rope system, Danny and Burke lifted the pod onto the deck, where Rachel waited to check on the Captain. Although in a lot of pain from the necessary movement during transport, Tom was awake but extremely agitated. He did not like having to return to the his ship on his back in a rescue pod. Dr Rios, stood next to Rachel, as the captain's rescue pod came aboard, he took the opportunity to reassure his captain. "Looks like you had a few problems on this trip Captain – don't worry, Sir, we are going to take real good care of you"

He saw the pressure bandages had done the job as far as stopping the bleeding, but the Captain's head wound was his real concern. Rachel said, "We need to get him to sickbay right away. He needs suturing and I am pretty sure he has a concussion, so no sedatives or pain meds, except for the local anesthetic we can give him when we do the suturing. Zack, what do your readings show?"

Rachel motioned for Danny and Burk to start moving the Captain to sickbay as she walked along side of the Captain with Rios and Zack. She motioned for Zack to step out of earshot of the Captain, before he answered her question.

Zack said, " My readings showed concussion also and loss of blood, but not too severe. I kept him from going into shock and tried to do everything I could so that he was protected from infection from the wound. My scan showed no organ damage, only muscular and bone trauma to the ribs. It looks like one of his ribs is cracked, but nothing severe. His head injury is what we will really need to watch, after we get the suturing done."

Rachel said, "I agree Zack, glad your scanner backs that up" She stood back and leaned over the pod, looking down at the captain. His eyes were closed. "Tom, we're almost to sickbay. Stay awake," she chided softly.

He blinked and his eyes opened. He said "I am awake, Rachel. I was just resting my eyes."

She said, "Sure you are, Captain."

After they had lifted the captain onto the examining table, Rachel turned to Danny and Burke, thanking them for all their help during the mission. Their admiration for her had grown tremendously, after this trip, due to the fact the the Captain had been so disoriented for a while, but she had been able to calm him down. Rachel smiled at the retreating pair, nodding her thanks.

Dr. Rios said, "Rachel you have done a great job. I can take over from here."

The Captain, gritting his teeth with the pain, interrupted him. "Dr. Rios, you can assist Dr. Scott. I want her to do the suturing."

Dr. Rios said, "But Captain, she will have to get cleaned up. It will take too much time. I need to get you sutured now."

Rachel said, "Captain, Dr. Rios is right, It will take me a few minutes to get cleaned up."

The Captain said firmly, "No! I said we will wait for Dr. Scott!."

Rachel said, "Alright, Dr. Rios, I will do it, but while I am getting scrubbed, please prep him and give him local anesthetic around the wound."

Dr. Rios, looking resigned, said, "Sure, Rachel, I will get him ready."

Rachel asked Zack to come with her. He followed her to the inner area of the sick bay, where she went to the sink and started scrubbing her hands and arms. She asked, "Zack, did Kate give you my message about checking his brain?"

Zack said, "Yes, I found no evidence of any blood clots, or for that matter, any brain damage that I could detect, but sometimes it is there and takes a little time to show. I did not want to say that in front of the Captain. I will scan and treat him carefully for the next few days and if you can keep him awake and relatively quiet, he will probably be fine. I will make sure his knife wound heals much faster than normal as well."

Rachel said, "Thank you, Zack, I was very happy to know you were back here scanning him and treating him at the same time I was. Speaking of that, the Captain is under the impression that he can ask you to give him a pass to go to the bridge, later today, when I told him otherwise."

Zack laughed, "He did, did he? Well, if that isn't just like him to try something like that. If it were normal times, he could start World War III, if I let him on the Bridge in the condition he is in right now. Don't worry, Rachel, our brave Captain is not getting a pass from me."

Just then, there was a knock on the door from the P-way and Jed let himself in. He looked ashen in the face. He said "Rachel, my God, how is Tom? Is he going to be alright? The children are beside themselves with worry. Please tell me he is going to be alright."

Rachel placed her hand on his arm and told him quickly about the situation with Tom and that she was on her way back to the examination room to do his suturing. She told him to wait in the Captain's quarters and she would either bring the Captain to him or she would come and tell him if he had to stay in sickbay. He nodded and left.

Zack and Rachel headed back to join Dr. Rios in sickbay. Rachel sutured the Captain's knife wound and then put a bandage over it. The Captain's color looked better and he was no longer in pain. Under local anesthetic, he couldn't feel the pain from the wound at all, but she knew that he would feel it later. After Rachel had finished, the Captain said to the doctors, "Well, now that you have patched me up, I will need to get to the bridge. I feel much better and I am not in pain, except for a slight headache."

All three doctors looked at each other in consternation. How could he even consider going to the bridge? Rachel knew this was coming and she motioned for Dr. Rios to give his opinion on the matter. Dr. Rios said, "Captain, I must tell you that you are in no condition to go to the bridge. We still have to determine the extent of your concussion. You have also lost a lot of blood. I was just going to assign you a bed here in sickbay, for the night. I could not give you my permission to work on the bridge until we know for sure about you head injury."

Zack seconded that. The Captain was not happy and said, "Well, I am the Captain and I do not need your permission. I am going to the bridge!"

Dr. Rios said, "Captain, as medical officer aboard this ship, I have never had to pull rank on you before, but you know the regulations. When it pertains to your health, I can and will order you not to even attempt to go to the bridge. If you try to disobey my order, Captain, as much as I will regret doing so, I will have you put in restraints and confined to a bed in sickbay!"

The Captain's face turned red with anger. Rachel could see that he was furious at Dr. Rios and at all of them. She was amazed that Dr. Rios, who always seemed somewhat mild in his manner, had actually threatened to have the Captain put in restraints. Rachel had to hide her smile and she was proud of Dr. Rios, but now she had to deal with the Captain and his anger. Rachel interrupted, "Dr. Rios, I don't think that will be necessary. I was thinking the Captain should be strong enough to return to his quarters, with some help. With your permission, I will monitor him all night to make sure he stays awake for the required number of hours. As long as he will agree to follow your orders regarding the bridge, then he would be fine in the bed in his quarters. Would that be satisfactory to you Dr. Rios?"

Dr. Rios nodded doubtfully,saying, "Will that be satisfactory with you, Captain?"

The Captain knew he had no other choice. The idea of being put in restraints was something he knew he could not handle. He hated the idea of restraints. How dare Dr. Rios think that he could do that to him? At least he would be in his own quarters and he could have people come to him, if necessary. The Captain reluctantly nodded in agreement, looking at Rachel, with a decided frown, not happy that his plans had just been thwarted.

The Captain was able to walk back to his quarters, with the help of Zack and Rachel. Rachel put a blanket over his shoulders. She did not want him to walk back to his cabin shirtless. He had other uniforms in his quarters. Jed was waiting for them when they got there. The Captain was still giving Rachel a problem. Tom refused to lie down on the bed. He'd spent far too long lying down in his opinion, preferring to sit upright in a chair for a while. Sensing he wouldn't be able to do so for very long given his injuries, Rachel wisely chose not to argue with him. She told Zack she would see him later and he left them.

Jed said, "God, Tom, are you okey? I was so worried. I kept the kids out of here until I knew your condition."

Tom said, "Thanks Dad. I will be fine. The wound isn't serious and I just have a bump on my head. Thanks for keeping the kids out of sickbay. They would have been frightened, I am sure. I can see them now, but I need a T-shirt. Will you get one from my closet?"

Jed said, "Tom, Rachel has already told me the extent of your injuries. It certainly was more than you just described. You probably need to get those BDU pants off. You have blood on your belt and on the pants themselves. I will get you a pair of sweatpants. Then you should lie down."

Tom said, "Dad, I don't want to lie down. I am fine."

Rachel said, "Jed, it might be a good idea to get the children and bring them here so that they can see that he is alright. They won't be able to stay too long, unless I can get the Captain to lie down. They can spend a little more time with him then and we can get something brought down here from the wardroom. I am sure Bacon can arrange that for the Captain. Jed, I need to keep Tom awake for a number of hours tonight, so a little company from the children, early on, will be good, just warn them to be gentle with him around the ribcage, when they are hugging him."

Jed went to get the children. Rachel helped Tom into a clean T-shirt. He got his pants off and she saw that there was blood on his under shorts. She said "Take those off, Tom." She got him a fresh pair from the chest and helped him out of the shorts and into a fresh pair. He raised his eyebrow and said, "Dr. Scott it seems lately, you are always trying to get me out of my pants."

She gave him a little smile and quipped, "Oh, Captain? As of last night and this morning , I thought the feeling was quite mutual."

She gave him a flirty look and a quick kiss on the cheek. He laughed and tried to give her one back, but she said, "Get those pants on, Captain, the children will here in a minute."

He barely had time to get his sweat pants on before his father was knocking at the door to his quarters. Rachel let them in and both children ran to their father. Ashley said, "Oh Daddy, we were so worried. How did you get hurt?"

Tom held on to the desk and knelt down on one knee so he could hug them. Ashley said in a very grown up manner, "Sammy, remember be careful how you hug him. His rib is hurt."

Sammy hugged his Daddy around the neck. "Daddy, does your rib hurt much?"

Tom put his arms around his son and hugged him. "It doesn't hurt much, buddy. I will be fine soon."

Ashley carefully hugged her Dad and said, "Dr. Rachel took good care of you Daddy. Mommy said Rachel would take care of all of us, remember?"

Tom said, "Ashley, Dr. Scott took very good care of me and she even put the bandage on me."

The children wanted to see his bandage, so he raised his shirt up to show them. They touched it very carefully. Ashley said, "Gosh, that is a really big bandage, Daddy. Dr. Rachel did a very good job. How did it happen?"

He looked at Rachel with a warning in his eyes. He said, "It was kind of an accident. I fell against a table."

Ashley looked at him sceptically. "I heard some of the crew talking and they said you were stabbed with a knife. Daddy, please tell us what really happened. We are not babies."

Rachel said, "Alright, I will tell you. Your father saved my life. He was very brave."

She explained to the Captain's children how he had been injured. Then she said to them, "Now, we need to make sure your father does not fall asleep and you are helping by being here for part of it. Bacon is going to bring us dinner and we will have it here with your Daddy."

Ashley said, "Daddy, you saved Rachel before in Baltimore and now you saved her again, You really are a hero. I love you Daddy."

Her father said, "No baby, I wasn't a hero. I only did my duty. I was there to protect Dr. Rachel. You all do not know this, but she actually saved me and Tex, when we were prisoners of the Russians, before we came back to Baltimore to bring you guys back to the ship. She was a real hero. She saved the whole ship. Now that is a story for you."

Both of the children were jumping up and down and begging to hear the story. The Captain looked at Rachel. He was not looking so good. She suspected the local anesthetic he had been given was wearing off. She said, "Captain, I think it is time you get into bed and we will all have dinner in the bedroom with you. How would you children like that? I will tell you the story he was talking about. When your Daddy is in bed, we can all sit around him." The Captain reluctantly had to admit, even to himself, that he needed to get into that bed.

Dinner was brought to the Captain's quarters and Rachel, Jed and Ashley set everything up with trays so that they all had their dinner gathered around the Captain,who was sitting up in bed, propped up with pillows, his tray on his lap. As they were eating, Rachel told the whole story of how their father and Tex had ended up on the Russian ship and how she was part of their rescue. They loved the idea of how she passed the note to him with the kiss, even with his hands in handcuffs. It was all very exciting to the children and they were all ears. Jed was also fascinated.

After Rachel had finished it, Jed said, "My god, that was like an adventure story. I think you both ended up heros in that story, Tom."

Tom said, "No, It was first of all, Rachel and then one of our Navy Seals, who unfortunately, was killed during the rescue mission."

Jed said, "Alright children, It is late now and you all need to get to bed. Your Dad will be just fine, I think. You can see him in the morning."

The children kissed their father goodnight and left. At last there was quiet in the Captain's quarters. He looked up at Rachel, his blue eyes full of love for her. He said laughing, "While you were telling the story of the Vyerni, I was thinking back over all we have been through together. I remember that time I had ordered you off the ice in the Arctic and you came storming down the P-way, like a bat out of hell, ready to kick my ass, telling me I had no right to force you to come back to the ship. You were a little spitfire. I was slightly amused that you thought I didn't have the authority to pull you off the ice, when the temperature was going to 50 degrees below zero in about 30 minutes. You are so beautiful when you are angry."

Rachel said, "Yes Captain, I remember how you said that for the last 4 months, you and your crew had taxied me and my assistant all over the Islands, so I could chase after my 'ducks'.I was so angry at how you could stand there right in front of me and belittle my mission."

Tom said "When I told you that you had barely spoken 4 words to me in the 4 months you had been on board, you sarcastically said that perhaps you should have invited me for tea. I was certainly not used to being spoken to with such disrespect. If you had been one of my crew, you would have been walking tours for a month."

She said, "Well, I had a perfect right to be angry with you, Captain. You actually made me stand there, while you shook your finger under my nose and lectured me about how I was under your authority, as was everyone else on this ship. Then you added insult to injury, by actually having the audacity to tell me you would take a rain check on the tea. Then you just walked off and left me standing there, as if what I wanted was not in the least bit of interest to you."

He said, "I will never forget the night when I was out on the wing of the bridge. You actually gave me a mug full of that awful tasting tea. When you told me you had made a breakthrough and that you were taking me up on the rain check I'd given you for the tea, I didn't have the heart not to drink it. You wanted to celebrate. You looked so happy and I thought how beautiful you looked in the moonlight. We toasted to your success. Do you remember, Rachel?"

She said, "Yes, I remember. How could I forget? You looked so handsome sitting out there. It was a magical night. Looking back, I know now that I was beginning to fall in love with you even then. I could never admit it, even to myself, because I knew you were married. I knew you were already taken and nothing would come of it."

She said laughing, placing her hand on his leg, "Oh, Tom, do you remember the night of the day we got back from the Vyerni, when you accidentally gave me a black eye?"

He started laughing. "Oh, Dear God, Rachel, you would have to bring that up. Everyone on the ship found out I had given you a black eye. You poor thing. it wasn't your fault at all, but at the time, I thought you had just walked into my quarters without knocking. How can I ever live that one down? When you came to my quarters and could not get me to wake up, you tried to check my pulse."

She said "The next thing I knew, you had thrown me onto your bed and you were on your knees towering above me and ready to crush my windpipe, had I not screamed and awakened you."

He said breathlessly, "When I realized it was you, I rolled out of bed and pulled you out of my bed, giving you a real talking to about how you don't just walk into my quarters, without knocking. I was yelling at you about how I had almost killed you."

Rachel laughed and said, "I will never forget that night. You had rolled right out of the bed and were giving me a lecture in your quarters, standing not 3 feet from me, with not a stitch of clothing on. You didn't even know it, until I asked you if you might want to put something on before we continued our discussion. Do you think we will ever tell the children or your father about that?. That has been our little secret from everyone."

The two of them were laughing so hard and he was holding his hand over his bandage, trying to stop laughing. He said, "God, Rachel, stop making me laugh - it hurts too much. I was so upset that I had given you a black eye and you ordered me to go back to bed and to sleep more. You would not let me go to the bridge that night either. The whole damn ship knew about the black eye, before I even awakened the next morning. It was horrible, at the time, but so funny now that I think about it. If we ever do tell the children about that, there is no way it would be any time soon."

She was also laughing so hard that she could hardly catch her breath. He said "And then, there was the incident, the night just before the trials, when we both decided to take showers after midnight, at almost the same time. You had forgotten to turn on the sign outside the showers, which would have told me that someone was taking a shower. I turned my 'Captain's' sign on, took my clothes off and and walked right in on you. I was practically on top of you before I saw you. I almost slipped and fell on the wet tile, trying to back out of the shower, so you would not know I was there."

She started laughing. "Well you were certainly not a gentleman, Captain. You did not leave when you saw me taking a shower."

He said, "Rachel, you were so beautiful, standing under the shower with your hair piled on top of your head. I thought you looked like a Greek goddess. I would have to have been made of stone to have left that vision. Unfortunately, I have a photographic memory and I will never get that vision out of my head and believe me, I tried. It was not something I was proud of, as a married man. I kept trying to think of you as my responsibility, my best friend, anything but as a woman I had just seen naked and who I had kissed on the Russian ship. I just tried to put it out of my mind. It was really all your fault, you know. Even if I had left, I would still have seen you naked. That was not my fault. I had no idea you were there. It was, however, my fault that you found out about it."

Rachel laughed, "If you had not left, forgetting to turn your 'Captain's' sign off, I would never have known. There is a funny thing I never told you about that night, Tom. All the while you were watching me, I was fantasizing that you were taking a shower with me and we were….we were…"

He said in amazement, "You mean you were fantasizing that you and I were making love in the shower? Oh my God, Rachel! That is why you were touching yourself in such an erotic way. It was a real turn on. After seeing what you were doing, I really needed to leave. I was beginning to get aroused and under the circumstances, I could not deal with that. You were nearly ready to leave anyway. That is why you saw the wet foot prints going down the P-way. I hadn't even put on my shoes or my T-shirt, until I was halfway back to my quarters. Thank heavens, it was after midnight and no one was around."

She said, "And this is another one of our little secrets. I think that one will need to stay a secret, don't you? It certainly is a funny story. It can still make us laugh. Oh Tom, I love you so much. I am so sorry. It must really hurt you to be laughing so much."

He said, "I love you too, Baby Tiger. I am hurting, but at least I am in a better mood. I am still angry about none of you agreeing to let me go to the bridge, but I certainly enjoyed being with you and the children and our time together tonight. I can't believe we had a night like we had last night and we can't do it again tonight. I want to be with you every night, though I know it is not yet possible. I want it to be so soon. In the mean time, we will be together as much as we can find a way to do it. I want to make love to you again, Baby Tiger."

Rachel said, "You cannot do it tonight and don't give me a hard time about that, Tom. You know you were not a very good patient today, wanting to get up off the table when I was trying to keep you still, so you wouldn't bleed to death. Then you were going to go to the bridge, even without our permission. Does that make any sense? Let me ask you one thing. If one of your crew had the same injury that you have, would you have let them on the bridge, knowing that they could pass out and that they were in pain? Would you, Captain?"

Tom blinked and looked down. "Rachel, I am the Captain of this ship and I am not used to taking orders from anyone else, except Cent Com or Naval Command. I do what I think needs to be done. But, no. If it was one of my crew, I would not let them on the bridge."

She said, " Well, you, Captain, were not thinking very clearly today. That is because of your head injury. When that is the case, someone else, who is thinking clearly, has to call the shots, whether you agree or not. That is the way it was with you today and that is the way it is, until we give you the clearance to go back to the bridge. I hope that is clear, Captain. Now, Tom, you are not going to give me any more problems, tonight, are you?"

He said laughing, "No ma'am, not me, unless I really need to go to the bridge, of course. I can usually get someone to come to my quarters if they really need an answer or to speak with me directly."

She said, "Alright Captain, I am going to stay with you in this bed tonight. It is midnight and I will let you go to sleep, but I will need to wake you up every hour. You are not going to like it and I don't want any more black eyes, so when you hear the alarm go off, you had better wake up. I will set your alarm every hour. That way, it will wake both of us up. I am going to be right next to you in this bed."

She cuddled up to him and he said, "Are you really going to stay with me all night, Baby Tiger and I am not allowed to touch you, I suppose?"

She laughed. "Tom, I can't take a chance that your blood pressure might go up, until I know about your concussion. You can't get excited. You have to take everything slow and easy."

He cocked one eyebrow and looked at her mischieviously. "Oh, I can do it slow and easy, little one. I would do it very slow and easy. When can I start?"

She looked at him. "Tom, it is good thing, one of us is thinking clearly, you silly one. I am taking care of you as a doctor, tonight and you need to behave yourself. There is not going to be any funny business."

With that, they gave each other a very deep and loving kiss and they both fell asleep, until the next hour, when the alarm went off again. When he would awaken, Rachel would look into his eyes with her pin light and check for certain markers. If he did not wake up, she would have to call Dr. Rios and Zack.

XXX

Rachel was awakened suddenly, somewhere between alarms, by Tom's talking in his sleep. She knew immediately that something was terribly wrong. He was shaking and was completely drenched in sweat. It was almost like he was delirious, but she was touching his arm and she could feel he was not running a fever. His clothing was completely wet. His breathing was labored as he mumbled, "Zack…,...Zack...Where … is Kate?...Did...they….get ...her ...out?. Where ….is ..she?... Zack?...No, I didn't … I didn't tell ….them,...Zack…..I ...didn't tell them ….anything ….….didn't want ...them.. to find…. her… Take care...of ..her, Zack,...Don't ..think I'm ...going to….make ….it…...Hurt….too….bad…. .Hurts...hurts….Oh, God….Zack..promise...me,...Take ..care ...of ….Kate."

Rachel was horrified. She couldn't bear to hear the pain in his voice. He was breathing very hard as if reliving a terrible experience. She rubbed his arm and said, "Tom, honey ….Tom, ..wake up, now...You are having a bad dream...Tom…..Listen to me, Tom. You are alright, You are right here beside me. This is Rachel,... Tom."

His eyes opened with a far away look in them. "Rachel…..Rachel, sorry, ...having..bad dream, ….I'm so sorry."

He was still shaking. Rachel said to him gently, "Tom, were you dreaming about the time you were tortured?"

He nodded, looking down. She sat up and said, "Do you want to talk to me about it?"

He said, "No, Rachel. I can't talk about it, not yet. Please, I will be alright. It was just a flash- back. I will be alright." She held him until he stopped shaking. She got him up and helped him get his his wet clothes off. She got a warm cloth and washed his body and dried him off. She put a blanket over him, while she made a quick trip to sickbay and got the things she needed to change the dressing and bandage on his wound. She was back in a flash, took care of his wound and helped him into clean clothing. She had him sit on the couch as she changed the sheets on his bed. She hugged him gently and kissed his forehead as she had him get back into bed. She said softly, "I love you Thomas Chandler."

He immediately went to sleep and was calm. She watched him for the next hour and he did not have another nightmare. He must have had the flashback because of the pain and trauma from his wound and his concussion.

The incident was over. She was more determined than ever to find out from Zack what had actually happened. If she had to, she would ask Kate. It must have been too horrible to remember and he was not ready to talk about it. She had to know about this trauma he had lived through, so long ago. Now that they were as close as they were, she needed to know.

She hated to wake him every hour, but there was no way around it. She knew that they both were exhausted. Tomorrow, he would be able to sleep for a number of hours. She wanted to just stay with him. She did not want to leave him at all, but there were things she had to do in the lab. Dr. Rios could come to his quarters. She would stay with him for as long as she could, well into the morning, to make sure he was progressing.

She snuggled up to him and placed her arm across his waist. She loved him so much that it hurt her when he was hurting. He felt her comforting touch and he placed his hand on hers and said, "Thank you, Baby Tiger. I love you."

She placed her head against his arm and whispered, " Sleep now, my love."


	28. Chapter 28 Recovery

Chapter 28 Return to the Island

I am sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. Life sometimes does have a habit of getting in the way of what we love to do. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Please drop me a line to let me know how you like the way the story is going. Your reviews mean so much to us writers.

XXXXX

Tom awakened first the next morning. Actually, it had only been a couple of hours since they had both fallen into an exhausted sleep, after his flashback. His head was clearer now, than it had been the day before. He could feel Rachel's arm placed so protectively across his waist, in her attempt to sooth his troubled spirit after the flashback. His right hand was resting on top of her arm. He knew instinctively that he would not be able to go to the bridge yet. He could feel that his wound was healing because there was not as much pain as yesterday. It was probably Zack's scanner treatments that had helped heal his wounds faster. He suddenly knew that he had things that needed to be done right away, things that could not wait. He also needed some answers. He looked down at his own beautiful Baby Tiger, sleeping so peacefully. God, how much he loved her.

He knew he could not wait any longer. He spoke softly, "Rachel, honey...I need to get up."

As soon as he spoke, she was awake, ready to react to any change in his condition.

She said, "Tom, are you alright? What is it, love? Are you in pain?"

He responded, "No, Rachel, I am sorry to wake you, but I need you to do something for me."

She said, "Of course, sweetheart, what do you need?"

He said, "I want you to go to Zack's stateroom and tell him to come to my quarters right away. Tell him to bring his scanner. I also need to speak with Kate."

Rachel said, "Tom, It is only 0400. What you need is to go back to sleep. I have to wake you up every 3 hours or so, now. You still have to take it easy to give your concussion a time to heal."

He was getting frustrated that she wasn't following his orders immediately and that she was actually questioning them. He held himself back from an angry retort. He thought "She does not understand. She isn't military. She is worried that I am not being rational, for God's sake!"

He said slowly, attempting to be patient with her, "Rachel, I am feeling much better, but I know I cannot go to the bridge yet. I need to see a number of people in my quarters today, but first I want to speak with Zack and Kate, regarding their trip back to the Island. I want them to leave today with the vaccine. They were delayed because of my mishap. Before he goes, I need to get some answers from Zack and once I am involved with the other things going on with the ship, I won't have the time I need with him. Now, would you please go and get him and then Kate?"

Rachel could see that he was rational and that he was serious about his need to see Zack right away. She did not agree that it should be now, but she did not want to get him upset and she could see the anger he was holding back, ready to erupt at any moment, if she did not do exactly as he said. He was not used to having to explain his orders and what was left of the effects of his concussion made him quick to anger. She smiled to herself at how hard he was trying to control it, because he cared so much for her. She knew he hated being in the least bit incapacitated.

She said, "Alright, Tom, I will go get him."

She got out of bed and put on her shoes. She was still in her clothes, since she never knew who might come to the door to check on his status. She was suppose to be here in a medical capacity, to take care of him.

She walked to Zack's stateroom, not that far from her own. She took a deep breath and knocked sharply on the door. She hated waking him at this hour, but she had to do as Tom had asked. She knocked again, a little more aggressively. She heard movement behind the door and it swung open. Zack was standing there, shirtless and in his boxers. He said, "Rachel, What is it? Has something happened with Tom?"

She said, " I don't know what has come over him, Zack. I think he is rational, but he just awakened me and told me to get you to come to his quarters right away. He wants you to bring your scanner. Now I have to go and get Kate. He wants to speak with her also."

Suddenly, she saw Kate peaking out from behind Zack. It was clear, neither of them had been dressed for company, Kate had stepped behind the door when he opened it, so she would not be seen. She said, " Rachel, I am right here. We are together. We will both get dressed and come to Tom's quarters in a few minutes."

Rachel was surprised to see Kate in Zack's stateroom. Now, she knew that what she thought she had seen pass between the two was real and she regretted all the grief she had given Tom that night about kissing Kate. Well, actually she didn't regret it so much. He might never have declared himself to her, if she had not pushed it, accusing him of being attracted to Kate and they would not have had that wonderful night together. Oh how she wished he was not wounded and she could show him how much she loved and wanted him.

Rachel told them that she would tell Tom that they would be coming to his quarters shortly.

She went to the wardroom and got herself some tea and brought a tray with 3 mugs of coffee for Kate, Zack and Tom. She hurried back to be there before Zack and Kate arrived at the door. She let herself in and found Tom sitting at his desk. He had washed his face and had on a T-shirt and some clean sweat pants, though he needed a shave. He looked even more ruggedly handsome, his azure eyes shining.

He spotted the coffee and said, "Oh, thank you Rachel. I am sure we will need that. Did you find Zack and Kate?"

She said, " I did and they will be here in a couple of minutes, as soon as they get dressed."

He said, "Well, you could have had Kate come after I spoke to Zack."

She said, " I didn't have to go to her. They were already together."

He cocked his eyebrow and laughed, " Oh, now why isn't that a surprise? I thought I saw something between them when they were in the wardroom, the day she arrived. I guess it isn't fair that only you and I have a right to be happy."

Just then there was a strong knock at the door. Tom said, "Come!"

Zack opened the door to the Captain's quarters and held it while Kate walked in. He followed her into the room, carrying his scanner as Tom had requested. "How are you feeling, Tom? I was worried when Rachel came to my door."

Cocking his eyebrow again, Tom said with a slight grin on his face, " Well, I hope I didn't disturb you too much."

Kate turned a little pink and both looked a little bit uncomfortable. Tom said to Kate, "Well at least Naval Command will finally be satisfied that you and I will not rekindle our old relationship. It is pretty clear that you are in love with Zack and though most do not know it, yet, I am in love with Rachel. I don't know what they think we would be doing after all this time, after two wives, your husband and 5 children later, when you count all that has happened to all of us."

Kate said, " Tom, we have not been able to speak with you about what else there was that happened and this is not the time to go into it. Why did you want to speak with Zack and me so early this morning? It must be very important."

Tom said " First of all, I wanted to alert you both early that that I am sending you back to the Island with whatever vaccine we have, so you can start to immunize the population there. Zack can go with you. He hasn't even had a chance to see his children who are living there. I don't think your boys know about Cynthia yet, do they, Zack?"

Zack said, " No Tom, they do not and that is one of the reasons that Kate and I have to keep our relationship secret for a while. We can go back together, but if we spend any time together, we will have to be very careful. Thank you for letting me go to my boys and my parents."

Tom said, " Zack, I need you to do a few things for me while you are there and I have some questions that I need answered. I know there are things that I have not been allowed to know regarding what is going on there. I need to know who or what we are we dealing with on the Island. I am hesitant to let my crew go there until I know. Are they Navy or are they Nasa? Is the United States Navy still functioning as such. Kate had referred to the NASA/NAVY Command. They have different uniforms. Are there any Navy personnel there on the Island that I know? Granted Kate's ship saved my life and has helped us already, but who are they, actually in relation to the Navy I know?"

Zack said, " It is so interesting that you had me meet you so early, because I was going to come to you in any event.I think they are ready to let you know about their plans for you. They want you and Rachel to come to the Island immediately, today. I think you will have your answers. In fact you have been ordered to the island."

Tom said, "Ordered by whom, Zack? Ordered by Navy Command or Navy/Nasa Command? Why do they want me to come now? I cannot leave now. I am not strong enough to even go to the bridge. I will not leave my ship in a rescue pod, like I arrived. I need to let my crew know that I am strong enough for command again. That was one thing I wanted to ask you Zack. I want to know what the scanner readings are. I know that I am much stronger and my head seems clear. Will you need to continue to treat my wounds while you are on the island?. I need to be back to normal ASAP and I don't want to come to the Island and meet with those other officers, unless I can face them fully recovered.

Tom, they know what happened to you and how you saved Rachel's life. They want you there for a medical exam and some tests. They have the advanced technology to help you heal much faster. Remember, you were taken to the Island for a week when I first brought you back 14 years ago, but you don't remember it because you were in such bad shape then. They can get you well sooner, Tom. They want to get you well and put you through some other tests as well. They are now willing to speak with you about the things they have planned for you and your ship.

They also want to meet Rachel as well. It has been a long time since you have had a real physical. They want to make sure you have a full recovery."

Tom was getting upset again. " I said no, Zack, not until I am ready, not until you return with some answers for me about who they really are. You have to convince them that I cannot come for a couple of weeks, until my crew knows I am fully recovered!"

Zack said, "Captain, that was not a request. It was an order from Naval Command. They can come and take you back whether you want to go or not."

The Captain said, "After Baltimore, I am not sure of who is who here. You need to convince them of why I need to be here longer. I have built up the trust of my crew over a long time and I can't just leave them thinking I am not right in the head. If they are truly Navy Command as I know it and they know me, they should be able to see that. I also need to speak with someone in the Navy that I already know. I also will not allow Rachel to go to the Island until I am sure of who they are."

Kate said, "Tom, you know me, isn't that enough?"

He said, "Kate, I know you, but you are now in some kind of military that I don't know about. Where is the Navy I know, or at least someone of rank that I know from the Navy?. No more secrets. The world is a different place. I realize that. If they want my cooperation, they need to level with me. Tell them that."

Zack said, " Kate, if we go today, perhaps we can convince them, but they will not be happy that The Captain and Rachel are not with us. What Tom says makes a lot of sense and he does not seem to be in danger now, from his injuries. If they want him, they will have to, at least, hear what he is asking of them. After all, he and Rachel are providing us with vaccine for those on the Island. He is right about his crew."

Kate nodded her head. She believed that the Powers that Be would agree to wait for him. They were the ones who wanted him to be in a command position. She didn't even know who or which branch of the military was calling the shots.

Zack told Tom and Rachel that the scanner treatments showed that he was much better and that his knife wound was at least a week ahead in the healing process. He said, "Tom, I will let them know I am still treating you and you are doing quite well. Within a week or so, you will be as good as new. I think, from the readings I am getting from the scanner, you should be able to go to the bridge after tomorrow. Most of the effects of the concussion are clear or probably will be by tomorrow. According to the scan, you just need to rest today and tomorrow and then ease back into your regular schedule. You will be fine. Is that the way you see it Rachel?"

Rachel said, "That sounds exactly like I would call it, also, Zack."

Tom looked relieved and much happier. He said. "Alright Zack, That is what I wanted to know. Start your preparations for returning to the Island and Rachel, you can check with Rios and Tophet about preparing the vaccine for them to take."

Rachel said, "Tom, I know you want to see other people today, but you need to rest a bit in between. While I am checking the vaccine, you need to lie down and sleep for another hour or so. When I return, I will awaken you and I will see if I can get Mike or whoever you need to see next. I am sure Bacon is planning on bringing you some breakfast. Are you hungry?"

He nodded his head and said, "I am hungry, but the coffee tasted very good as a start."

He gave Kate and Zack their leave and wished them a good trip. He smiled as they left. He was happy that Zack was going to see his children again. He could see the happiness and excitement in his eyes.

Next he needed to see Mike. He had been so out of it, he had not even had a chance to call him to his stateroom, though Rachel said he had stopped by a couple of times to check on him.

After Zack and Kate had left, Rachel came over to Tom and embraced him gently, placing her head on his chest. " I love you, Captain Chandler. Now come with me. She took his hand and he let her lead him to the bedroom. She pulled back the covers and had him sit on the bed. He kicked off his shoes and she gently pushed his shoulders back onto the pillow. He tried to bring her into the bed with him, but she resisted. "Tom, you are better, but you are not up to that, yet. I will let you know when. Believe me, I want it as much as you do, my love. She kissed him lightly on his lips, knowing that if they took it any deeper, he would have difficulty holding back and he was not in condition to indulge in the kinds of things they would both like to do. Not yet. She could not wait for the night they would have when he was recovered. Maybe, if they did get to go to the island, they would be able to be alone and Kate said the Island was beautiful. Zack was treating him, while he was on the island, so Tom might be better sooner than expected.

She tucked Tom in and he was immediately asleep. She wished she could rest her own head, while curling up next to him, but she had things to do, before she again awakened her handsome sleeping Captain.

XXXXXX

As Zack headed back to his cabin, he thought about seeing his sons again and he remembered the day that Kate arrived on the Nathan James as if it were yesterday and how what he had learned had changed everything.

The officers were having dinner in the wardroom, Kate and Zack arranged to sit next to each other. Captain Chandler had made arrangements for Kate to have sleeping quarters aboard the Nathan James on the day she arrived with her aircraft and crew. When she met with Zack in the wardroom earlier, they had decided to meet in his quarters to discuss what Kate had to tell him. Zack couldn't imagine what it was that was so important to her, but he knew he would find out now. They lingered over their coffee until almost everyone had left the wardroom . He left first and she followed a few minutes later. Zack checked the P-way to see if any of the crew were around. He told her to walk a few feet behind him, so that if they met anyone, it would not look like they were walking together. When he got to his quarters, he opened the metal door quickly and let her enter. He then stepped inside himself and closed the door behind him. At the present time, Zack did not have a roommate. They turned to each other and Kate fell into his arms and he held her close. He couldn't believe how good it felt to hold her again in his arms. She pulled back from him, "Zack, I need to discuss something very important with you. I don't know how you will feel about it, so we had better do it now, before we go any further."

Zack said, "What is it that is bothering you Kate, You know you can tell me anything."

Kate looked into his eyes deeply. She had been dreading this moment, because she had no idea how he would take what she was going to tell him. " I am going to go back to when Tom and I were forcibly separated from each other by the Navy and NASA, back when he was reassigned to a Destroyer to get command experience and I was sent to the Island to continue the project of developing better and bigger versions of the anti-gravity aircraft that the two of us had been working on. At that time, I was told why we had been separated and that they wanted to make sure we did not keep contact with each other. I had to sign papers pledging not to try to contact Tom directly or through any other person who still had contact with him. Zack, you were on the list of people I was not to have any contact with, because you had tried to help us get information from one to the other, until you were advised that we were to be separated. I guess you must have been ordered not to continue to help us in that way. You knew what they were doing, that Tom and I would never be allowed to be together. You were his best friend and this must have been really horrible for you. I had become so dependent on you to be there for me while he was recovering from being tortured and you were so protective of me that you became my best friend as well as his. I started to love you, as a friend, I thought, but after I realized that they would never let Tom and me be together, then or in the future, as a couple, then I thought I had nothing to live for. That night I came to your quarters, I asked you to make love to me. You did not want to do it, but I think if you had turned me away, I would not have survived. I think you knew it also. I needed you and I knew I loved you. You had made me your first concern and you had tried to protect me and to be with me, when I was so distraught about Tom. Somehow, it just happened. Judging from the way you made love to me that night, I think you felt the same."

Zack looked directly at her and nodded his head. "Yes, I also knew during and after that night that I loved you, but I was never able to express it to you in person. We could only say it with our eyes. I felt awful about the way they were treating the two of you, but I also realized that given what they had planned for you both regarding the project long term, there was no other way. Tom would never have left you of his own accord and he is the one they could not tell about the final outcome, because it would be dependent on if he turned out to be the kind of Commanding Officer that they were pretty sure he would become. It would be some years before he would have had the command experience he would need to be able to take on what they had planned for him on the Island."

Kate continued. After he and I were separated, I was also separated from you. Three months later, Zack, when I had taken a flight back to Maine to see my parents, I found out I was pregnant. I could not contact you. I had signed the papers. It had been 5 months since I had been with Tom and when I was with him, I was on birth control pills, so I knew you were the father, Zack."

Zack had put his head in his hands and was shaking his head. " Oh my God, Kate. Is there no way you could have let me know? I would have married you. My God, what did you do?"

Kate shook her head. "I could not tell NASA that I was pregnant. That would have ruined the plans they had for Tom to eventually take the command they planned for him on the Island after a number of years and I would have had to explain about you. It would have changed everything they had planned for me at NASA in this project and how I would be able to work with him again. It was all so complicated. I knew I could not reveal it to NASA.

I discussed it with my parents and we decided on another plan of action. I took a leave of absence from the Island to be with my parents who were in Maine. My mother told everyone that she was pregnant .They took me on an extended trip to Europe and my son was born there. When we went back home to Maine, my mother told everyone that she had a new baby boy. I refused to leave my baby, so I made arrangements for my parents to come and live on the Island and I lived with them and was a mother to my baby and helped to raise him as my little brother. His name is…. Zackary….Zackary Grant.

When later, enough time had passed and I did find out how to reach you, I found that you were already married, as was Tom. When Zack got old enough to be able to talk about who his mother was, I had to make him think I was his older sister who loved him dearly. I knew that I would probably never be able to tell you about him. I knew I had to go on with my life. I married a wonderful man from NASA, Scott Connolly. We have an 8 year old son named Scott, after his dad. I could never tell my husband about Zack being my son. As you probably know, my husband was killed a few years ago during a failed launch attempt on the Island.

To this day, my son, Zack, thinks he is my little brother. He is on the Island and he is 13 years old. He goes to the same school as your son, Eric. I will show you his picture."

Zack was just staring at her. He could not get his head around this. He had a 13 year old son? Kate got her cell phone and showed him the first picture. He said "No, that is my son, Eric. Where is Zack.?"

Kate said, "No, this is your son, Zack. People are forever getting them confused at school. Except for the fact that they are a year apart in age, they almost look like identical twins. Both have black hair and your green eyes. Both of our boys think they have a double. They have no idea that they are brothers."

He said, " Oh my God, Kate. I can't believe this. What are we going to do?"

Kate said, "They both look just like you, Zack. I don't know exactly what we can do at this point. I just had to let you know. You may have even figured it out for yourself, once you saw him and got to know him. He is so much like you and he is extremely intelligent. He is very interested in medicine. I don't know if there is a way in the future that we could let him know he is your son and that he has brothers. We will have to play it by ear."

Zack said, "It has been 14 years, but I still felt like we had not been apart when I saw you again today. I feel very deeply for you Kate, but none of us ever thought we would be in this position. We were all married with children We have much to talk about and I can't even think about how we can handle all of this yet. When I go back to the Island on R&R, I will have to break the new to my sons, that their mother has died. I cannot bring you in any time soon, especially because you look so much like her. I don't know how Eric and Chris would feel about that. If we have a relationship, it will have to be a secret for a while. It will have to be a secret aboard ship as well. I don't know when Tom will lift the non-fraternization rules. When he brings Mike's wife and family aboard and we bring other crew members families aboard, he will have to lift those rules pretty soon. If I can get back to the Island soon, I can see if I can have some time with my sons. I will see Zack then, though maybe not with you."

He stood up and pulled Kate into his strong arms. "Kate, I am so sorry that you had to face being pregnant with my son without me. That must have been so hard. If I had only known, I would have found a way to marry you, but you are probably right that NASA would never believe you had nothing to do with Tom. I guess you made the only decision you could have made. I am rather shell-shocked at the moment from all of this news, but I am sure there is a way for us to be together, as long as NASA thinks it came about in the present time frame. How do you feel about me, Kate?"

She said, "I have been around your son all this time and because of that connection, I feel very close to you, Zack, but I am not the 21 year old, very vulnerable young girl I was then. If we have a relationship, I want to find out if we will have the kind of love that I want with the father of my son. I feel a deep connection with you, Zack and If you do not feel that you can feel the same, then maybe we should just leave things the way they were."

Zack said, "Kate, I want to be with you, in whatever way we can, in every way that we can and I know it will take some time, but if you are willing to wait until the time is right for us to be out in the open, as a couple, I will certainly be willing to wait. I don't want to wait for us to be together in our relationship, though we will have to be very careful, not to show it openly. Do you feel the same way or do we need to wait on that as well?"

Her answer was swift. She took his face in her hands and kissed his lips with a passion which certainly proved to him how much she had changed into a woman who demanded his full attention. He kissed her deeply and then it was as if they couldn't get their clothing off fast enough. One thing they both knew for sure. Kate would not be going back to her assigned cabin that night and they were rarely sleeping separately since that day.

He blinked and shook his head at all of the memories of what had happened over the last few days , since Kate had reentered his life.

XXXX

Hope you are enjoying the story. I will have more out soon, I hope. Drop a line to let me know how you like the story. Love you all.


	29. Chapter 29 The Admiral

The Admiral

Over the next few days, The Captain was recovering from his injuries very well and he got back into the swing of his duties on the Nathan James, gradually, but his crew was very relieved that they had their Captain back. Mike had his family back and he and Christine were doing fine. She and the girls were getting used to life on the Nathan James and Rachel had become friends Christine.

Tom had no word from Zack or the Island, so he was happy they hadn't sent anyone to take him by force back to the Island. Zack and Kate must have convinced them to wait until he was ready to meet with them. He knew that the population on the island was in the process of being immunized with the vaccine. He also knew that Zack must have been reunited with his boys and his parents.

Rachel and the other doctors were working feverishly to make more vaccine. They would need more on the Island and there were so many other safe zones they had to find along with other family members. He expected Kate to be back with her ship soon. They needed her ship to go to the inner areas of the US and to all the other areas where the crew might have family. They could even check out areas of Europe without using up their fuel supply. With that technology, they could scan an area for signs of life from the air, while being safely in a stealth mode.

Rachel had been keeping a close eye on the Captain and his recovery. She made sure they had dinner together along with his family, though sometimes these days they also had Mike and his family with them. Because the Captain was still recovering, he did not have any night duty on the bridge, so he could be with Rachel and his family in the evening, after she had finished in the lab. She would read to the children or they would play board games and check their homework. It was almost like a family scene and she felt very much a part of it.

After the children went to bed, Tom and Rachel would sometimes cuddle on his bed, but she would not allow him to do anything else, yet, which he found very frustrating. When he complained that she wasn't letting him do what he wanted with her, she told him that if he didn't behave himself, she would not come over at night, until he was completely healed. He straightened up after that. Now that he was getting used to having her with him at night, he did not want to be without her presence. It didn't stop him from trying every once in a while, to see what he could get away with, but she was very adept at slapping his hands when he was getting the too cozy with her. On this night, after just such a happening, he said gruffly, "How much longer, Rachel? Here I am, the Captain of a Destroyer, for god's sake, getting my hands slapped like an amorous teenager. It is downright humiliating."

Rachel said, "Tom, I think I had better just sleep in my own stateroom. It will be only another week or so, probably. The knife wound needs to be completely healed. You need to get your sleep and you don't need any distractions and I seem to be too much of a temptation. I am going to go now, Tom. I don't want to, but I don't see any other way."

She started to get up, but he sat up, holding her down in the bed with one hand. He looked down at her and his piercing blue eyes bore into her brown ones with an intensity that made her know that he really did not want her to go. He said, "No, Rachel, don't go. I promise I won't even touch you again, if you don't want me to."

She finally relented because, god knows, she did not want to leave him. "Tom, you have promised me that you will not touch me in any kind of a provocative way, until I tell you it is okay. I am going to hold you to that promise. No more seeing what you can get away with. Is that clear, Captain?"

He raised one eyebrow and looked down, a little sheepishly, but grinned slightly at the role reversal. "Yes, ma'am, Dr. Scott, I will be a perfect gentleman if you will continue to grace my bed with your presence," he drawled, in imitation of a southern gentleman."

With that, he took his hand from her chest and lay down next to her. She curled up next to him but, true to his word, he did not put his arm around her, not until during the night when it just accidentally happened, when they were sleeping in such a tight space. When Rachel awakened she found her arm across his waist and her head was against his chest. So much for not touching each other, she thought. She was just as bad as he was, she laughed.

XXXX

Then something unexpected happened which completely changed their sleeping arrangement. Early the next morning, when the Captain was in the wardroom with Rachel and his family, Mike's voice could be heard on the com, "Captain to the bridge! Captain to the bridge!"

There were sirens and emergency "Impending Collision" announcements sounding all over the ship. Tom jumped up and headed for the bridge on the run. He could feel the pain from his healing knife wound reminding him he still was not completely back in shape. He placed his hand on the wound to support it. Rachel yelled, "Tom, Don't run. Watch your wound."

He paid no attention to her. It sounded like all hell was breaking loose on the ship. He was up the steps to the bridge in short order. He ran onto the bridge and Mike rushed over to him, with his binoculars.

"Sorry Captain," he said. "I didn't realize that Kate's ship just landed on our port bow. We did not see it coming and we did not have Zack here to let us know she was on her way back. We just suddenly had a presence and all of our warning systems were sounding all over the ship at once, as soon as Kate's ship was out of stealth mode. They have to find a way to warn us when they are coming, next time."

Tom said, breathing a sigh of relief, "It is alright, Mike."

Mike got on the com and made the rather humorous announcement," Nathan James, this is your XO. Due to the sudden unexpected surprise visit of Lt. Commander Connolly's ship on our port bow, we just had a successful test of all of our emergency warning systems. As you all know, all of our systems preformed without a hitch. All stations please stand down and return to regular duties."

At that moment, they received a communication from Kate. She wanted to speak to the Captain. Tom got on the Com and she said "Greetings Captain. Sorry we were not able to alert you that we were on our way back to your location. I have a SAT phone for you to use to contact us on the Island and we will be able to contact you from now on. Since Zack is still on the Island, there was no way to warn you."

Tom said, "Kate, it is good to have you back. How are you and Zack doing with the vaccine we gave you?"

She said. "We had enough to get a good part of the population immunized. Zack is reunited with his family and he is having a good R&R, which he needed, as you well know."

Tom said, "Well, we will speak when you are back on board about some of what I asked you and Zack to find out for me. I will meet you on deck. Are you coming aboard now?"

She said, "Yes, Captain, but I have an additional passenger to come aboard as well. Admiral Keith Hollingsworth is here with me from the Island. He will be staying a couple of days with you aboard the Nathan James. I believe he was your CO back when you were still flying."

The Captain clenched his jaw and said, "Yes, he was my CO. It has been a long time since we have been in contact. We will meet you both on deck, Kate."

He ended the communication. He told Mike to come with him and to have the Master Chief order 20 men to be on deck in formation to form a welcoming party for Admiral Hollingsworth. Tom wondered what all of this meant. He was surprised that the Admiral had come to his ship rather than waiting for him to come to them. He was not too happy because he was still not completely well. He did, however, have a lot of questions for the Admiral. The last time he had seen this CO was 14 years ago. At that time, he was in deep trouble for having disobeyed orders not to go after Kate when her plane went down over enemy territory. He'd almost died back then and he really did not want to go over all this past history, but now he did not see how he could avoid it.

By the time they got the men assembled, the Admiral and Kate were just stepping onto the deck of the Nathan James. The Captain and Mike stood at attention and they both were wearing their cover. The 20 other members of the crew were all standing at attention behind their officers. Tom recognized the Admiral who had been a Commander when they had last spoken. He was still what most women would consider handsome and very distinguished, with his silver hair and hazel eyes. He had not changed in appearance that much except that he was older. Tom was happy to see he was wearing his navy work uniform as all of his own people were wearing and not anything like the black uniform that Kate wore.

As he stepped aboard, the Captain and Mike saluted in unison. The Admiral returned their salute. The Admiral spoke first, "Greetings to you Commander. Tom, it is good to see you again and this must be your XO, Commander Slattery."

Tom answered, "Yes, Admiral, it is my pleasure to welcome you aboard the Nathan James. To what do we owe the honor of your presence, Sir?"

The Admiral said, "First of all, please stand at ease."

The Master Chief barked the order to the assembled crew, "Parade Rest!"

All of the crew present went to the formal "Parade Rest" stance, which was technically at ease, for they were still in a formal pose, but with their feet apart and their hands clasped behind them. As soon as the Captain had led the Admiral past the assembled crew, The Master Chief gave the order, "As you were!"

The Captain led the way to the wardroom, where the Admiral was introduced to Dr. Scott and all of the Captain's family as well as Mike's family. After introductions, the Captain asked Kate and the Admiral if they'd had breakfast. They said they had, but that a good cup of coffee would be appreciated.

In the mean time, Mike and the Captain had instructed their families to take leave of the wardroom at this time, since they had all finished breakfast and the room would now be needed for meetings with the Admiral. The Admiral bid all of the family members a temporary goodbye until dinner, when he assumed they would meet again. He asked for Dr. Scott to remain.

The Admiral, the Captain, Mike, Kate and Rachel all stayed. They all sat down at the large table for a meeting. The Admiral was at the head of the table which was fitting because of his rank. The Admiral started the conversation. "Tom, It has been a while since I have been aboard a destroyer and it is so good to be here with you now. It has been a long time since you and I have spoken."

He looked directly at Dr. Scott, "It is my sincere pleasure to at last meet the 'savior of the world', in person. You are much younger than I had pictured you in my mind, Dr. Scott."

Rachel looked down at his compliment, "You are too kind, Admiral. It is I who am happy to make your acquaintance and to have your help on the island to get this vaccine out to all the areas we need to reach."

The Admiral turned to Mike, "Commander Slattery, I also commend you for your actions during the time that Commander Chandler was a prisoner of the Russians and how you set up the recovery plans to rescue him. That story of the valor of every one of you here, including you, Dr. Scott and your Navy Seals, represents the highest standards of the Navy and the report that Commander Hayden wrote, reads like an adventure book of the highest caliber."

He stunned the Captain, when he slapped him on the shoulder, laughingly saying, "Tom, You actually sunk the old bastard and without setting off an atomic explosion, at that. We were all so proud of you, when we finally heard the whole story from Zack.

You have all been through Hell I know and you have all lost dear members of your families, as have many of us. I have come here to have a series of meetings in which I hope I can answer your questions about what has happened with the Navy and what is happening on the Island. You all know a little about it, but by the time I finish, you will have a much clearer picture."

He paused for a moment to make sure he had all of their attention. "We want you to feel comfortable bringing your families to the Island and making it your land base. We will need your services for some time to come, I think, with things being as they are in the world. You have brought us the hope to save what is left of the human race on this planet and we hope to be a large part of helping to restore it.

Now, I will need to have several meetings discussing different subjects, but the first will be right now with Captain Chandler and Lt. Commander Connolly. Dr. Scott, I will want to see you in about an hour with the Captain. We will send someone for you."

They all left but Tom and Kate.

The Admiral had noted with interest the way Dr. Scott looked at the Captain and the fact that she was sitting in the middle of his family, when they were introduced to him. He therefore was not surprised when he saw their eyes lock for a moment before she left the room and how the Captain followed her every move with his eyes as she walked out of the wardroom.

Tom got them another round of coffee and the Admiral said, "We were all very disappointed when Zack came back without you and Dr. Scott, Captain. You were given a direct order to come to us that day, Tom."

Tom looked down and took a deep breath, thinking he was going to have to explain his position, when the Admiral put up his hand to stop him from saying anything. "Don't worry, Tom, both Kate and Zack made us realize that we have not really given you any clear indication of whether the Navy as it existed, was still functioning. You, therefore, did not feel you could obey any order until you knew for sure who you were dealing with. As the Captain of this ship, you have a responsibility for every man, woman and child on this ship. After going through what you experienced in Baltimore, it is quite understandable that you refused to come to us, without further proof of exactly who you were dealing with. We can understand your dilemma. You certainly deserve some answers and I am here to deliver them to you."

The Admiral stood and started walking a few steps away from the table, before turning to face the two officers. He took a deep breath and began, "First, I need to explain what the island was created for initially, long before the virus. Tom, remember when I told you a long time ago that I wasn't taking you out of the program for flying the antigravity aircraft, as a punishment for trying to rescue Kate and that we had always planned for you to be transferred into a command situation on a ship?"

Tom said, "Yes, Sir, I do remember."

The Admiral looked down, before he continued. "Tom, The Navy was watching you from the time you were in the Academy. You were always outstanding in everything you did. You were first in your class for a reason and we had a career track planned for you, as long as you worked out to be the kind of leader we expected you to be.

First, I want to let you know what we were doing on the Island. Long term, it was a NASA/ Navy project. We were working on creating a different type of propulsion for aircraft which could also be eventually used in spacecraft. That is why NASA was interested in it. We were working on smaller aircraft at first, using antigravity propulsion, as you know. Remember you wanted to go into the TOP GUN program so you could become a fighter pilot? We made sure you were not accepted for that program.

It was decided, instead, to let you fly the top secret antigravity aircraft we were working with on the island. We let you be the primary pilot to use this aircraft, along with another young scientist that NASA was priming for a special career path in this area. That was Kate. She was actually in on the design of the aircraft. She worked with you on that aspect, though you did most of the flying of the aircraft then, while she would work to make any design changes that were necessary. You were part of Naval Intelligence because of the top secret nature of what you were involved in. You were allowed to fly that particular aircraft so that you would have a complete working knowledge of the antigravity technology, along with the way the stealth modes would be used in future aircraft, which we had on the drawing boards. These would eventually be huge ships which could fly, but could also float in the ocean and even become submerged. These very large ships could be used to fly to the edge of space and eventually with more advanced ships, into space itself, with a different type of propulsion, outside the earth's gravitational pull. The warp drives for use in outer space are still being developed on the Island.

After you learned to fly the small aircraft, you were to be transferred to a Navy ship to be in a command position. That would take a number of years and you would move up the ranks and into a destroyer. We wanted to see how you would command a crew and how you would react under fire. You became one of the very best naval commanders in our entire fleet. You thought you would be put into a desk position in DC after that last mission to the Arctic, but that was not our plan for you. You were to be transferred to the Island with your family. We had in mind a new command position for you in a much larger ship.

Before this happened, however the virus came into play and you were chosen to be the Captain of the ship which would carry Dr. Scott on her mission, because you were the best the Navy could offer for her safety and the potential success of her mission. No one ever would have believed how fast the virus spread. Your ship and Dr. Scott's success became the best last hope for the world's survival.

Our Mission on the Island has changed, in part, because of what has happen with the virus. You see, because we had such a long term mission on the Island, we were trying to create a totally self-sufficient society where everything anyone would ever need could be grown or manufactured on the island. We were developing alternative fuels, alternative energy, new and alternative medical procedures and technologies, new and better products in just about every field. Therefore, when the world was dying, we were in pretty good shape, but we had to become a safe zone. We were set up to do so, but we still wanted to continue with our original plan, but now the ship we were working on for you to command, would have to be used to help save what was left of humanity on this planet. The ship we want you to command will be used to keep the nation, what is left of it, safe and to help humanity survive. Now, what is happening on this planet is our first priority. We must find a place to mass produce the vaccine and then we need to get it to all areas of the globe. The ship you are on now, the Nathan James will be used as long as we can get fuel for it. Your new command uses antigravity propulsion and you already understand how that works. You would just be flying or sailing a much larger ship than you are presently on. That is why we had you flying the aircraft in your earlier years. Your command experience was what you needed and what you got after that. That was the plan.

Back then, however, you and Kate almost threw a monkey wrench into our plans for both of you. She was a civilian working for NASA, primed from age 16 to be taken to the Island for further training on the aircraft you were flying. She would be developing the much larger ship you would later be commanding, provided you proved yourself capable of handling it. We knew that we would be creating a new branch of the Navy called NAVY/NASA Command and that Kate would be the Science officer on the ship you were to command. She would be a subordinate officer to you in this ship. She was to be trained for that role specifically and she could not have done it if you were married to her. She is now prepared to take on that role with you as the Captain of that ship, when it is ready for you and you have been trained for it. That is the reason we had to separate you from her and why we did not allow you to be together at all after you were healing from the torture you endured trying to save her. Yes, it was cruel, but it was done for a higher purpose.

That single misguided act of heroism on your part, just about cost you your life and all of our plans for you. We had to take care of the other danger and that was that the two of you might get married and have a family together. We prevented that and things worked out well after that. You got married and so did Kate, but not to each other. That would have worked out fine, if her husband and your wife had lived.

Our ultimate goal on this Island was to create a huge space ship which could eventually take a large number of people to colonize on another planet. Tom, don't give me a look like that. We are not telling you that you are to command a starship or become the next Captain Kirk. That may be in the cards for some of the children we have on the Island, but you will have your hands full taking care of the people on this planet. There is so much to do to help our world survive and to thrive again. We have the intermediary ship you will command, but the spacecraft will take years to complete. It is the next phase of the plan. Those who will command and man that ship will be among the children we are training now in our schools on the island, those and the children to come as we expand our population. They will be trained in the new technologies we are developing in every field that society needs to thrive. We have to increase our scientific mind pool and that may be increased by people we have yet to find who have survived, we hope. We don't know how long it will take to complete this ultimate goal.

We want you to come to the Island and make it your home base. We have a wonderful home for you there, big enough for your entire family. All of your crew will have a home base there. We have a wonderful town and a military base as well. Everything is grown fresh there and we raise our own animals. We have horses, cattle, dogs, cats and other pets. We have people who can manufacture our clothing. We have the most wonderful fresh clean water and some of the most beautiful weather on the planet. We still need our military to protect the island and all we hold dear. We have schools for the children and they are being taught the skills to be able to eventually man the large ships we wish to build. They are being taught the principles of freedom and our way of life in the United States and they have all of the accurate history of our Constitution and our history. They have world history so they will know the mistakes that were made and the heroic successes that happened as well. Captain, we all want you to come to our Island and see if you and your crew want to be part of what we are building there. I want you to bring Dr. Scott. We want her to also be a part of what you will do on this new ship of yours.

The Captain said, "Sir, please do not tell me that you have in your plans for Rach….Dr. Scott to become a member of your new NASA/NAVY military. Don't tell me she will become another officer in my ship who will be subordinate to me and who I will not be allowed to have any relationship with."

The Admiral laughed, "No, Tom, Dr. Scott is a civilian and will remain so. She may be with you on some of your missions, because of her involvement with what you will be doing. You will be in charge, however. You will be in control of who you take with you on your missions. We realize that we interfered with your personal life in an unprecedented way.

Tom, I assure you that will not happen again, unless you want to become involved with Kate."

The Admiral looked over at Kate with a special gleam of humor in his eyes. "I don't think we have to worry about that, now do we, Kate? From what I have observed, you seem to have a singularly strong interest in a certain Navy doctor, who is now visiting the Island."

He now looked intently, directly into the eyes of the Captain. "And you, Tom, seem to be completely captivated by none other than a particular civilian doctor, who is now on this ship. All I can say is…. carry on, Commander. There will be no more interference in your personal life. That, I can promise you."

Tom looked surprised that his so closely guarded secret seemed to be public knowledge, with the Admiral. He just smiled and said, "I am very happy to hear that, sir."

Tom said, "One question I have for you, sir. Is there still a United States Navy, as we know it?"

The Admiral answered, "Yes, there is, but we need to find out if any of our Navy, other than your ship, is still out there. You will still take orders from the Navy Command, as you know it, on the Island, for now. A lot depends on if we can locate any other safe zones where we have active Navy or any other military command. If we do, we will have to combine what is left and who is left into some kind of military force. Right now, we have the closest thing to a formal naval presence and a way to continue. We will have to go with that until we have more information. We also have to figure out how we will handle any other surviving military from other countries and whether they have any cohesiveness. There are still a lot of unknowns ahead of us, Tom. You will be part of what we decide. I can assure you of that."

Tom felt finally, he was getting the full picture of what was going on and he no longer felt so in the dark. It was a good feeling and he thanked the Admiral. He had to take a deep breath to comprehend the magnitude of all that he had been told, but he felt somehow it would all work out.

The Admiral asked to have someone sent to get Dr. Scott and to bring her to the wardroom.

She arrived shortly. The Captain was smiling and she was relieved by that. The Admiral brought her into the conversation in discussions with how she was coming with the quantities of the vaccine she had ready to go now and what she would have within a week or so when they would like her to come to the Island with Captain Chandler. She looked at Tom and he nodded his head to let her know that he felt it safe for them to go to the Island then. She told the Admiral about how much she would be able to bring with them. It would be enough he told them to immunize the rest of those on the Island and the look of gratitude in the Admiral's eyes was something to see. He also had his entire family on the island and he now knew that they would be safe from the dreaded virus. He said to Tom, "Captain you will have to forgive me for this, but there is no other way to let Dr. Scott know how much she means to us on the Island and to me as a husband and a father."

With that, he reached out and embraced Rachel with tears in his eyes as he tried to control his voice and his emotions. He let her go and she looked into the tear filled eyes of this distinguished Admiral and she saw such true sincerity there that she no longer was apprehensive of what they would find on the Island. He thanked her again, with all of his heart and she did not doubt in any way that he meant it. Tom felt tears in his own eyes, because he certainly had felt the same emotions with regard to his own family and he understood the Admiral's feelings of gratitude for all she had done to save all of them.

After the Admiral got his emotions under control, Tom suggested that he take the Admiral up to the bridge to meet some of his other officers.

Over the next couple of days, the Admiral was given a chance to address the entire crew of the Nathan James and to let them know something about the Island home they would all get a chance to visit, a few at a time. The master chief started to schedule who would be on R & R on the Island and the Admiral was given a list so that accommodations would be ready for them. The crew members who had family on the ship were scheduled first, as arrangements would be made for them to stay on the Island, while the crew members would return to the ship, after their leaves. The R & R was not just temporary leave but a chance to establish where they would live, when they eventually returned to the Island. It would be a home to return to and to bring any new family members they would find.

XXXX

The Captain had turned his quarters over to the Admiral during his stay on the Nathan James. Tom did not want to move Mike and his family out of their quarters to accommodate him, so he said he would bunk in one of the officers' staterooms. He ended up going to Rachel's stateroom at night and as hard as it was, they managed to sleep together. That first night, Rachel said, "Tom this is not going to work. We got along without sleeping together all this time. We can sleep separately for a couple of days. I don't want anything to happen which will slow your healing."

He said "Rachel, let me handle this."

He was in his boxers and a T-shirt. She had on a pair of panties and a tank top. He climbed into lower bunk first and he was on his side with his back against the wall. He reached out and pulled Rachel into the bed into the same position he was in, on her side with her back against his chest and her knees bent. He reached around her and pulled her body closer so he had his arms around her as they lay on their sides. Her back curved into his chest and abdomen and he curled his legs up just behind hers so they were in exactly the same position. She relaxed into the warmth of his body and she felt she never wanted to leave the shelter of his arms. It was as if she had always belonged there, within the space which he had created out of his own body and reserved for her, in order to have her fit so perfectly into the mold as if it were designed by god to be her protection. He could smell the fresh clean vanilla scent of her shampoo. He pulled the light blanket over them. He whispered in her ear. "See Baby Tiger, There is always a way if you want something bad enough. I could hold you like this forever."

XXXXX.

The night that the Admiral left, there was a huge send off with lots of cheering from the crew and the ships officers as well. The whole ship felt he was like their grandfather, though he was only about 52 years old. Everyone could not wait to have their turn on the Island and to meet him again. The Admiral let Tom know that he himself would be his CO and that any concerns or questions that the crew had about the Island, once they came, he would personally handle, as Tom made him aware of them.

When Rachel and Tom went to bed that night, back in the Captain's stateroom, in his own bed, he held her close. He kissed her deeply and said, "Rachel, I don't mind waiting, now. We can both look forward to our time on the Island. I will be completely well and I promise you, I won't allow anyone to interrupt us."

Rachel said, "Oh Tom, what do you think your house will be like? The Admiral said we will each have a house. I wonder which one will be the one we will want to live in. Do you think we will have a Queen Size bed? Can you imagine what we could do with that? "

Tom said softly, "Baby Tiger, we can choose which one we will want to live in and I am sure we will have a large enough bed. He said there would be plenty of room for my family and yours is probably the same as far as size. I am sure we will have a real bed and lots of privacy. I am having the children brought to the Island a few days after we get there. We will be totally alone, just the two of us. Rachel, I never want to be without you, again. I love you way too much for that."

He kissed her on the forehead. Rachel looked up into his azure eyes and kissed his lips, but refused to take it deeper. She whispered "Oh, Tom, if I could only show you how much you mean to me, my love."

He pulled her closer to his body "I adore you, Rachel and I can't wait to tell the whole world how much. I have to speak to the children first, but they love you also. Even the Admiral knew. Can you believe it? I guess I haven't been too good at hiding it from anyone. You are on my mind all the time and I can not keep my eyes off of you when you are anywhere near me. A great example I have been to my crew. You will not have to wait much longer, Baby Tiger. I will find a way to let them know soon. Just think, only another week or so and we will be on the Island."


	30. Chapter 30 The Island

The Island

After the Admiral left the Nathan James, the preparations for the scheduling of the crew for their R&R periods on the Island began. In addition to that, Kate brought her ship back and the Nathan James continued to search out Safe Zone Areas where family members may be located.

Rachel was working night and day with the other doctors to make more vaccine, so that when she and the Captain went to the Island in another week, there would be enough for the rest of the population on the Island.

The Captain called Danny and Kara to the Wardroom the day after the Admiral left. He asked Dr. Scott to be there as well. Kara was about 7 months pregnant now. Danny had spoken to him about marrying Kara before the baby arrived and he was thinking a great deal about that. After he had them in the wardroom along with Dr. Scott, he let them know with the help of the Admiral, he had some possible solutions for them.

The Captain started the conversation. "I have decided that both of you will be coming to the Island with Dr. Scott and me at the end of the week. I found out from the Admiral that they have a church in the village. They do multiple services for the different religions and they have clergy who can perform marriages. In addition they have very advanced medical facilities and a hospital with specialists in every field, including obstetrics. Kara, you will be able to have the baby in a real hospital where you will have the finest care and safety."

Kara said "Captain, How can we have a wedding when the whole crew cannot attend. Everyone on the Nathan James would want to be there."

The Captain said, "You let me worry about that, Kara. If we can't bring them to the Island, we will bring the Island to the Nathan James. They could transport a clergy member and whatever else we need from the Island to do the ceremony and a reception. Don't you worry, we can work something out. I will get the Admiral to help us on the logistics."

Kara said, "How can I be on the ship and have the baby at the hospital on the Island? I really wanted Dr. Scott to deliver my baby. We do have what we need to do it here, don't we. I won't even know the doctor in the hospital."

Rachel said, "That is why you and Danny are coming with us. The four of us will be checking everything out before the children or the rest of the crew will be scheduled to come. We can look at all of the facilities and you can see houses that you and Danny might live in, as a home base on the Island. We can meet the medical staff there and then see how you feel about it. They might even let me be there with you and Danny when the time comes. If you start labor on the ship, we could be transported to the Island in very short order so you would not have to worry about any complications. You would not have to worry about keeping the baby on this ship. You will have a home for that baby on dry land. Just think about that."

The Captain called the Admiral on the SAT phone and advised him about the situation with Kara and Danny so he would have things prepared for them when they arrived. These two had waited long enough to be married and they deserved a real ceremony.

XXXXX

Rachel had been checking Tom's wound every day and with the help of the scanner, he was completely healed on the outside and would just need to gradually work up to his full workout routine. He could start gradual pushups and sit-ups, but the pull ups would take a bit longer. When she told Tom that Zack had given him the Okay for this, Tom immediately started doing exactly what Zack said he could do and a little more lifting lighter weights. He had no intention of being weak in the abs. By the time they were ready to leave for the island, he was in very good shape, but he had given his word that he would not try anything until they were on the island and she had pronounced him well enough. He had waited this long, a few more days would just make him even more ready for her.

XXX

Ashley and Sam were a bit apprehensive about their father and Rachel leaving them to go to the Island. The night before the Captain and Rachel were supposed to leave, the children and Jed were all in Tom's quarters and he was telling them about what they would find on the Island when they got there. Tom noticed that Sam was sitting on his bed looking down. He was very quiet. Tom went over to the bed and sat down beside him. He said, "What is it buddy? What is bothering you?"

Sammy looked up at his Daddy and Tom could see the tears beginning to build up in his eyes. "The last time you and Rachel went off in Kate's ship, you got hurt and there was all that blood and I heard some of the sailors saying you could have died, Daddy. Dr. Rachel made you stay in bed and she would not leave you. They said, "Dr. Rachel would have been killed if you hadn't saved her. What if something happens to you? I don't want you to go, Daddy. What if you and Rachel don't come back this time, Daddy?"

He burst into tears and Tom held him close to him, pulling him into his chest with his arms around him. Sammy said, "Mommy went to be an angel and if that happens to you and Rachel, we won't have anyone, but Gramps."

Tom comforted him. "Sammy, nothing is going to happen to us on this trip. We are going right to the Island and when we get there, we are going to be finding a house for all of us to live in. You will be coming to us in just a few days. When you get there, we will be taking you to our new house and you and Ash will have your own rooms again and so will your Gramps. We can all be together again, not across the ship from each other. You will be able to play outside with some of the friends you haven't seen for a long time. I've got some real surprises for you and Ash. We will have a long talk about some things when we get on dry land away from the ship. You are going to love it. There are other children to play with. Your friends Chris and Eric are on the on the Island. You remember Zack's sons. You always loved playing with them, didn't you?"

Ashley came over and sat on the other side of her father and she was also tearful as she hugged him. It was clear she was also worried. "Daddy, we won't have you here for several days. We have not been away from you since that horrible time in Baltimore when Mommy died. We always know you are very close by when you are here on the ship with us.

Tom held them both and comforted them. You were away from me for months many times before. This is a very safe trip. There is no danger on the Island. It will be great for all of us. The Admiral said so. You are going to be the first of the children on this ship to go to the Island."

Sammy said, "Is Rachel coming tonight to read to us? I don't want her to go. That means she won't be reading to us tomorrow night….Daddy, after we leave here at night, does Rachel read to you? She is here when we leave at night and she is here in the morning."

Just then Rachel let herself into the Captain's quarters. She had a book she had been reading to the children. She looked surprised to see the children and the Captain all sitting on his bed having a serious discussion. She could see the children looked worried.

Tom rose and Rachel sat down and the children both hugged her.

Tom said, "They were a little worried that we might not be coming back from the Island after what happened the last time. I was telling them how many surprises we would have for them when they join us in a few days on the Island."

Sammy was hugging Rachel and he suddenly put his hand out and ran it across her lower abdomen slowly. He then said in a very serious tone for such a little boy, "Rachel, do you love my Daddy?"

She looked a little surprised as she looked across the room at Tom, who had locked eyes with her. She said, "Well yes, Sammy. I do love your Daddy and I also love you and Ashley."

He looked over at his Daddy, shyly and said, "Daddy, do you love Rachel?"

His father looked at Rachel and he said, "Yes, Sammy, I do love her."

Sammy said, pointing his finger down at Rachel's abdomen. "Are you sure, Daddy, because I don't feel anything growing in there."

Tom and Rachel were both startled. Tom said, "What do you mean, Sammy?"

Sam said in an all knowing voice. "Well, I asked Mommy about the pictures of her when she was fat. She told me she wasn't fat. It was that I was in her tummy, before I was born. I asked her how I got in there. She said that it happened because you and mommy loved each other so much. She said when two people love each other like that, then a baby starts to grow in the mommy's tummy. That's how Ashley got here too, you know.

Mommy is in heaven now…... so, Daddy, if you love Rachel and Rachel loves you, why is there no baby growing in Rachel's tummy?"

Sammy looked at his father's startled face and said somewhat accusingly, "Daddy, you will just have to love Rachel harder….. I would like it to be a baby brother, please."

Ashley laughed, "Sammy, you don't get to choose. Mommy said God decides if it will be a boy or a girl. It would be alright with me if it was a girl."

Jed was listening to all of this and was trying so hard not to burst out laughing.

Rachel was trying to think very fast about what she could say in answer to Sammy's very serious question, while hiding her own dismay. She looked over at Tom, who had raised an eyebrow and was grinning slightly. He said "Hey there sport, it takes some time for a baby to grow and God figures out when the time is right so the baby can be born on the birthday that God chooses for him."

Sam said, "Well, Kara and Danny must have been loving each other, because that baby is sure growing in Kara's tummy. Maybe his birthday will be soon, huh, Daddy?"

Tom said, "Well guys, it is about time for bed. We all have a big day tomorrow."

They gave both their father and Rachel big kisses and hugs and left for their own staterooms.

Rachel said, "Tom, how did you get such a smart son?"

He looked over at Rachel and said, "Well, he has demanded a baby brother and has given me orders to love you harder. Can you believe it?"

She quipped, "Well, he is his father's son, always giving orders. He has it all figured out in his own mind. He just needs you to execute his demands and he sounds as impatient as you do sometimes. You will not, however, be executing his orders tonight, my love. We wait until we are on the Island. That was our agreement, remember?"

Tom grinned, "Alright, Baby Tiger, but I am sure looking forward to loving you harder tomorrow night."

XXXXXX

The next day, Kate's four passengers were on their way to the Island. Kara and Danny were all smiles. The Admiral had called the Captain on the SAT phone and let him know that they should be wearing their dress white uniforms. There was to be an arrival ceremony. He and Danny looked so handsome in their dress whites. Kara's uniform was a bit tight, but it could not be helped.

The Captain had Rachel sitting in the co-pilot's seat, beside Kate, while he stood behind her, not wanting to miss the approach to the Island, so he could see it for the first time from the air. Kate said, "I am sorry, Captain, but you are going to be disappointed. You will not be able to see the island from the air, except on my special screen. We have the whole Island cloaked from the air. It cannot be seen at all from satellites or from passing ships and does not show up on standard maps. There is a force field around it so no ship or plane can come to the Island without our approval and special instructions on where and when they can enter. It is very important that the location and the existence of the Island be protected. We have no idea what kind of rogue nations or factions might try to invade it. We are almost there now. As soon as I fly into the Island's airspace and the portal is closed behind us, you will actually be able to see the Island from this aircraft."

She was getting instructions from the Island and maneuvering the ship. She said, "There now, they are closing the portal behind us. Suddenly and Island appeared beneath them and it looked like a normal approach. He felt the momentum of the aircraft shift. He got to stand behind Rachel and watch, as the panorama of this rich green Island spread out beneath them. There were beautiful white sand beaches and lush green plant life and fruit trees. They went into hover mode and began to descend gently to the tarmac of the landing area. He could see large crowds of people assembled below behind barricades.

Kate cut the engines and she and her 4 passengers emerged from inside the ship. As they walked a few feet onto the tarmac, they could see a huge number of people from the town assembled to greet them. They burst into cheers and clapping as soon as the 4 passengers emerged from the ship. The Admiral was waiting for them. He came up to the Captain who had put on his cover as had Danny, Kara and Kate. All four of the officers saluted the Admiral who returned their salutes. The Admiral welcomed The Captain and the entire group to the Island. There was a huge banner the crowd was holding which read "Welcome Nathan James".

The Admiral said, "You are our heroes. You have brought the vaccine and the cure to us here on the Island and our people are going to show you and your ship just how grateful they are. Be ready to receive the royal treatment from everyone in town and on the base, Captain."

The Captain had not been expecting this kind of welcome. The crowd was still cheering. Tom picked up Rachel's hand and raised it into the air along with his own to acknowledge the town people and there was a roar of applause. They even had the band from the school playing "The Stars and Stripes Forever." The Admiral motioned them over to a transport, which they all boarded. This vehicle was not gas driven. It was absolutely silent and ran about 3 feet above the ground along a track which was embedded into the ground so the track did not show above the ground at all.. It ran along what looked like the original paved road.

As the vehicle sped away from the landing area, the Admiral said, "Well, Tom, the first thing we have to do is get all of you processed through our system so that you will have Identification and be able to access our vehicles and so that I can give you cards that you can use to purchase things you may need for your stay here. You probably need a number of things you have not been able to obtain, due to all the looting and destruction elsewhere. Remember, I told you we have a village and there are shops here and even restaurants. None of them had expected anything like this and especially not the big welcome they got. The admiral explained that the whole Island was aware of the "stories" of the Nathan James and how much they had all risked creating and bringing them the "Cure."

The Admiral said, " Zack filled us in with all that has been happening on the Nathan James, including the information about how you were captured by the Russians and what part Dr. Scott played in that recue. We have passed on to the town the stories of the heroic actions of you, Dr. Scott and your whole crew. You are all heroes in our eyes and will be treated as such. Your crew will enjoy the fruits of their labor to say the least."

The Captain thanked him but said that they were only doing their duty, but there were some of his crew who had given their lives in order bring them the "Cure" and he would want to honor them.

The Admiral said "The first part of your processing will be to go to Medical for physicals. Everyone who comes to the Island must go through that first. You will get to see a good part of our new medical technology. It will take a number of hours, but once you have all been cleared there, then I will take you to the houses we have for you. I know you want to get changed into something more comfortable as soon as possible."

The Captain would have asked if they could go to the houses first, but he did not feel he could change the Island's standard procedures. None of them loved the idea of the physicals, but it did not look like they had much of a choice.

Rachel said, "Well Kara, It looks like we will be able to check out the medical facilities first thing. The Admiral said that they could leave their things like duffle bags in the transport, because they would be returning to this very vehicle, which would be at their disposal during their stay on the Island, if they would be traveling as a group. They would also have access to individual transport, should they need it.

When they arrived at the Hospital, they were met by as many of the staff, who could be spared. They were all assembled and were cheering and clapping for them as the townspeople had at the arrival area. The Captain and Rachel thanked them and then they were each taken into separate rooms and the process for their medical evaluation began. They were all given the most complete physicals that they had ever undergone, using technologies many of which they were totally unfamiliar. Dr. Scot was asking all kinds of questions and the medical staff loved to be able inform this brilliant doctor all about each new technology. She found the whole process fascinating, though she wasn't too thrilled with how they literally checked every inch of her body with scanners and other tests. They were treated like royalty, but it was still not a pleasant experience. The Admiral was not kidding when he said it would take a number of hours. Rachel was fascinated with all of the scanning machines which seemingly checked their bodies for any hidden conditions.

They were all treated for any vitamin or mineral deficiencies. The Captain was given some time inside of a special chamber which actually focused on speeding up the final process of healing what was left of his injury.

Kara and the baby were checked and all was well. She met some of the staff who would be handling her delivery, should she decide to use their facility. She was shown the delivery room and where the newborns were placed. Rachel spoke with the staff about allowing her to be present at the birth and that was not a problem. Everyone on the medical staff that they had met was lovely and seemed to be very accomplished in their specialties.

Rachel was observing everything they were doing with her and therefore noticed that the doctor she was with at the moment, had actually repeated a scan on her lower abdomen. The Doctor then went to her chart and was checking her blood panel. She seemed to be studying it. Rachel said, "Doctor, what exactly are you checking for? I saw that you repeated that last scan and now you are checking my blood panel."

The female doctor smiled and said, "This scan was checking all of your female organs. Dr. Scott, I can certainly see why you are such an accomplished doctor with all you have done with the virus. You are very aware of everything I am doing aren't you?"

Rachel said, "I am trained to be observant, doctor. Did you find some abnormality in any of my organs in that area?"

"Oh", she said, "not at all, Dr. Scott. I should have looked at your extensive blood and DNA panel before I scanned you. Then, I would not have needed to rescan you. Your blood panel alone would have given me the information I needed about your condition."

Rachel was becoming quite concerned. "Doctor, what condition is coming up in my blood and DNA panel?"

The doctor smiled warmly and said, "I did not mean to cause you concern. You are in perfect health. That is a very good thing, because from what I see here, there should be no complications, Dr. Scott. In fact, it is my pleasure to be the one to inform you that your blood work and the scan confirm that you are indeed, pregnant, my dear."

Dr. Scott was stunned, but responded with a quick dismissing smile on her face. "Doctor, there is no way I could be pregnant. There has to be some kind of a mistake?"

The doctor said smiling, "With the technology we have here on the Island, we can tell the morning after if you have conceived. Your baby is only about 3 weeks old. Is that about right, Dr. Scott.? That must have been just before the Captain was injured."

Rachel was stunned. "Well, yes…. I mean…..why do you mention the Captain? How do you know all of this?"

The Doctor said, "I hope Captain Chandler will be happy when you tell him the news. Do you want to know the sex?"

Rachel said, "How did you know it was Captain Chandler's baby? Did you say you also know the sex now, this early? How is that possible?"

The doctor said, "Oh, I guess this is all new to you, Doctor Scott. I am so sorry. I forget that most people have no idea of what the technology we have on the Island can determine. I should have prepared you for this news. Captain Chandler's DNA is within our databases, since he was here with us 14 years ago, when he was injured and now so is yours. When we did your blood and DNA panel, Captain Chandler's DNA came up as part of the baby's DNA. On your blood panel, it printed out that Commander Thomas Chandler is the father of the baby. The integrity of the cells is perfect so from all indications, you both should have a very healthy baby boy."

Rachel was sitting there absolutely stunned. She said, "Doctor, I hope you will say nothing to the Captain about this. I will need to tell him myself. Who has access to my blood panel and all of this very private information? I do not want this information known at this point. I haven't even processed it in my own head. This will not be known outside this room, will it? Can you take his name off my chart, doctor?"

She said, "I can't change it, but I can make sure this medical file will be marked 'confidential'. I can ask the Admiral if I can have permission to mark it as 'classified'."

Rachel said, "No, I do not want the Admiral to be told about this. It is my private information. You have doctor-patient confidentiality don't you?"

The doctor said, "Yes, but medical information regarding people in the military can be known by their commanding officers, if they had a condition that would be causing them to need other medical follow-up or would change in any way their ability to do their jobs and this did involve Captain Chandler, I have to tell you, under normal procedure, the Admiral would be informed."

Rachel remembered how she had to tell the Captain about Kara being pregnant and that he had told Danny himself. She did not want the Admiral telling Tom that she was pregnant. She was not even in the military herself. They justified it because he was named on her blood panel. She still could not even get her head wrapped around this. She had to tell Tom, before the Admiral did. The hardest thing to believe was that they had only one night together and she was already pregnant. She did not know if Tom was really ready for a new baby, but now they did not have a choice. Well, she knew that Sammy would be happy. She placed her hand on her flat abdomen as if she was already protecting this new life within her.

Rachel asked the doctor to hold this information until tomorrow so she would have a chance to speak with the Captain herself.

XXXXX

After they were all finished with their medical evaluations, they were brought back into the waiting room and the Admiral joined them for the next phase of their adventure on the Island.

He handed a packet to each of them which included identification and authorizations. There were photo IDs, something that looked like a credit card and security clearances. They got back into the transport and were on their way to the homes they would be living in.

As they sat down in the transport, Tom looked at Rachel. She seemed somewhat subdued. He thought perhaps she was fatigued by all of the tests and they had taken blood. He was very hungry. It had been hours since they had eaten. Kara seemed very happy and excited.

She was talking to Rachel about what the doctors had said and about the facilities for when she was ready to give birth. Rachel told her that they had given their approval for her to be with them in the delivery room, when their baby was born.

Kara said, "They even showed me my blood and DNA panel and it showed Danny's name and rank as the father of the baby and it even had the sex on it. This technology is amazing, isn't it Dr. Scott."

Dr. Scott said softly, "Yes, Kara, it is amazing."

Tom looked at her again and he said, "Rachel, are you alright? You seem so quiet."

Rachel looked up into his piercing blue eyes, looking down at her with such concern and love, a love which he could no longer hide. She wondered if their son would also have those beautiful blue eyes and his father's strong jaw. She hoped so. "Oh, I am fine, Tom, just thinking about the future and how it might be."

She reached over and squeezed his hand. He placed his other hand on top of hers and said. "Our future will be incredible, as long as we have each other", he whispered down into her ear, careful not to look too cozy in front of the Admiral.

The transport stopped in front of a lovely two story house, with a beautiful lawn and a deck which overlooked the lush greenery. The Admiral said, "Danny and Kara, this is your house, if you choose to accept it. If, for any reason, you want to see any others, instead, just let me know and I will send someone to escort you around to other possible choices. I know you are all hungry, so just change into what is comfortable and we will be back for you shortly. We will go into the village for lunch. Your standard uniforms will be fine."

Kara and Danny went hand in hand to the beautiful house and disappeared inside. Then the transport was off to its next destination. They were traveling about 5 minutes farther. They could see the ocean from the transport windows and knew they were very near it here. They were both getting very excited. They rounded a bend and came upon the most amazing house. They could see the Ocean view as they looked past the front on the house. The Admiral said he would wait while they changed their clothes and took a quick look at the Captain's new house. He said that they would take Rachel to see her house after lunch. The Admiral smiled as he watched them rush into the house, hand in hand, like two excited children. He didn't really think Rachel would be using her house for long, if at all.

When they opened the door, they just stood inside for a moment, mesmerized by the expanse of the place. It was open concept and they could see all the way out past the wonderful great room with its high ceilings and all the way out to the terraces with open decks, some of which were covered and some with exposure to the direct sunlight. They could feel the wonderful sea breeze and as they walked into the family room which opened up directly onto a huge covered deck. They walked out onto the deck and could see all of the wonderful lounging chairs and table all ready for them to enjoy. They looked out onto the most beautiful ocean view and they could even hear the waves crashing onto the beach and hear them recede again. They could see the path which led down to the white sand beach. It could not have been more beautiful. They were stunned. They had never expected anything like this. Tom reached for Rachel and he pulled her into his arms and he kissed her slow and deep, taking all the time he wanted to pour all of the love he felt for this precious woman who he loved beyond life itself, into one kiss which would show her how much she meant to him.

She knew then that this man, who she loved beyond anything she had ever believed she could love, would want their baby and would be the best of all fathers to their little son. When at last they came up for air, they realized they could not keep the Admiral waiting any longer. They found the Master bedroom. It also overlooked the ocean and had a private deck as well which opened a whole wall of the room. To say that they loved this house was to underestimate their feelings for it. They had not even had time to explore the rest of it. They quickly changed into other clothing. The Captain, into his usual uniform and Rachel put on slacks and a light flowing blouse in turquoise. She looked so beautiful he thought.

They left the house hand in hand. The Admiral knew how they felt about each other, so Tom was not afraid to show their affection to a certain extent. They piled into the transport and were off to go pick up Kara and Danny. They were all smiles and they told the Admiral how much they loved the house. Kara and Danny were also thrilled with their house. They were so glad when they arrived at a lovely restaurant which had tables which were outside and faced the dock. They ordered fresh caught fish and had a salad and fresh fruit all grown on the Island. It was beyond delicious. At this point the Admiral left them, letting them know to just tell the transport operator to take them back to their houses when they were ready to leave the village. Zack arrived on the scene before they had finished in order to take them on a tour of the village. Everywhere they went they were greeted with smiles and thanks for all they had done.

They were loaded down with gifts that people in the shops had given them, fine hand made soaps, oils and lovely hand crafted gifts. The villagers were some of the nicest kindest people Rachel had ever come across. What a wonderful place to live, she thought.

Rachel and the Captain purchased some casual clothing which they could wear on the island. Kara and Danny did the same. Then the two couples split up and promised to meet back at the restaurant a bit later. Zack went with Kara and Danny. They came across toy shops, florists, a bakery, a jeweler, candle shop, and boutiques. Rachel wanted to check out the boutiques, so Tom left her for a while and told her he wanted to find more casual clothing. After a while she met Kara and they shopped together for a while. She said that Danny had gone shopping by himself for a while. Tom, Danny and Zack were together when Rachel and Kara joined them. They all boarded the transport and Zack told them he would meet them later for dinner if they wanted to eat out, though he told them their kitchens were completely stocked should they wish to stay at home for the evening. Both couples declined the invitation to dinner, electing to stay in their new homes, which they had no chance to explore really.

Zack offered to Take Rachel to her house, but she said she would stay in Tom's house for the night. He personally doubted she would be staying in her own house much, if at all.

When Rachel and Tom arrived back at Tom's beautiful new home, they both knew they would not have to look for any other. Tom and Rachel walked out onto the beautiful terrace, overlooking the ocean. The sky was beginning to change into the wonderful colors of sunset as the sun was beginning to go down. They just stood there for a moment, hand in hand, looking out to sea.

Tom looked down into Rachel's eyes and said "Dr. Rachel Scott, I have something to ask you. He knelt down. He took the ring box from his pocket and opened it. She saw the most beautiful diamond ring she had ever seen. She had failed to notice, earlier, that his wedding ring was missing from his left hand. He was wearing only his class ring from the Academy.

He was looking up with his stunning blue eyes which made her melt at the sight. He said, I love you, Rachel. I cannot imagine living another day without you. Will you marry me, Rachel?"

She answered after a few seconds of silence. "Captain Thomas Chandler, yes I will marry you. With all my heart I will marry you, my love."

He took her left hand and placed the ring on her finger. It looked like it belonged there. He had chosen it among all the others he had looked at and knew this was the one. It had an unusual setting. He knew there wasn't another one like it, as there was no one else for him in this entire world, but Rachel.

As he stood up and took her into his arms, she said, "Tom, there is something else I need to tell you, something I found out about when we were being tested today at the hospital. I didn't know how you would take what they found out about me."

He looked at her with great concern. "Oh my God, Rachel, what is it? Are you ill? No matter what it is, it will not change how much I love you. We will get through it together, I promise."

She said laughing, "Well, we will have to get through it together and it is good to know that you will still love me, after I tell you what they found. Remember what Sammy said about you not loving me hard enough, because there was no baby growing in my tummy? Well, they found that there is something growing in my tummy."

He said in horror, "Oh no, Rachel, honey, what is growing inside you?"

She said, "Oh no, no, Tom, sweetheart, what is growing inside my tummy is Sammy's 3 week old baby brother."

Tom just stood there, completely stunned "Do you mean?"

She said, "I mean that they found I was 3 weeks pregnant with a baby boy and your name and rank printed out on my Blood and DNA panel, as the father. The doctor even said that it must have happened the day before you were injured. That is how accurate their new technology is. Well Tom, say something!"

He said, "Oh my God, Rachel, I thought you were ready to die or something. I went from absolute happiness to utter despair and now back to absolute happiness. I can't believe that. They even knew it was me? That is amazing. They can almost trace it to the day it happened. We were only together that one time. How would that doctor know that"

Rachel answered back. "She knew because, when you were injured, you were supposed to be flown to the Island right away and they were awaiting your arrival that day. The doctor remembered, because they were all so disappointed when you did not arrive. She knew you could not be making babies after your injury. Oh, my gosh, they are really just too much into our business. She told me she would not be able to keep the report out of the hands of the Admiral for more than one day, because your name is on my blood and DNA panel. She did say she would ask him to make it classified information for now."

He said, "Oh, I will make sure the Admiral keeps it as classified information, Rachel. Don't worry.

I guess we will be checking out the church tomorrow and maybe a dress for you. Later, we will have to go explore the rest of this house and see where we can put the nursery."

He reached over and gently placed his warm hand on Rachel's lower abdomen, speaking very softly to their baby son. "Hey there, little guy, I hope you don't mind if l borrow your mommy for a while."

He looked into Rachel's eyes and she melted into his arms, as he spoke so lovingly into her ear. "You ready to get down to some serious loving, Baby Tiger?"

Rachel looked into his ocean blues and whispered, "With all of my heart, You know I am, my love."

She took his handsome face in her hands and just breathed in all the love she felt for this man as she said, "Thomas Chandler, you know you are and will always be my Knight of the Light. Now, onward, Sir Knight, to some of that serious loving you've been talking about."

He said in a low growl, kissing and nuzzling her beautiful neck, "Your wish is my command, my Lady of the Light."

XXXXX

More fluff in the next chapter. There is just so much to cover before S2. Please drop me a line in the little box at the end of the chapter and let me know how you like this chapter.


	31. Chapter 31 Paradise

Chapter 31 Paradise

This chapter has to be labeled M, so fair warning to any that don't like M. These two have waited long enough. If you missed the last chapter labeled " The Island" you might want to read that first. A lot happened in that chapter which will explain what Is happening in this one.*****

Tom awakened slowly. He lay on his back sprawled out on the King Size bed. He could hear the sound of the surf hitting the shore on the beach below the house. The scent and feel of the clean cool sea breeze filled the room through the opening which led from the bedroom directly out onto the covered deck, immediately outside the open glass sliding doors. The early morning sea breeze caressed his bare skin and he felt the complete relaxation his body had craved for so long. He did not want to open his eyes. He just wanted to lie there. He could feel that he was completely naked and it felt wonderful.

She was standing there holding a small tray with a mug of freshly brewed coffee and a cup of mint tea. She was standing at the end of the bed just looking down at him, not wanting to awaken him. She took in his magnificent body, which lay completely relaxed, displayed before her. She was mesmerized at his perfectly formed body, so strong and even deadly at times, yet so gentle and loving at others. She remembered how he had used that body to pleasure her and how much she loved what he did to her and what she had done to him. She remembered every inch of his body and she wanted to never forget what they had shared last night. She remembered how she had wrapped her legs around his waist, how it had felt to be drawn closer to that muscular chest and to be kissed by his lips, those lips she was looking at right now, before he opened his azure blue eyes. She could remember so well how he had driven her mad with passion for him, with wave after wave of the most exquisite pleasure she had ever known and how she had brought him with her with what she did to him. How it felt to have his length thrust again and again deep into her silken depths. She even noticed how his eyelashes lay against his tan skin, with his eyes closed, while he was so still. His handsome face was relaxed now. God, how she loved this man, this wonderful man, who was the father of this tiny life within her.

He became slowly aware of the smell of coffee and this made him open his eyes. She was standing at the end of the bed, absolutely still, just looking at him with the most beautiful look of love in her eyes. His heart melted as he mirrored that love in his own baby blues. He took in her delicate but strong body, so tiny compared to his own. They just looked at each other for a minute, before he could even form any words. It was all said between them in the love which passed from one to the other.

He noticed that she had put on a light almost filmy tunic top which she had purchased yesterday in town. She obviously had nothing on under it. He could see the outline of her beautiful round breasts underneath it. She had no panties on, which he could also see and her exquisite legs were bare. He looked back up at her eyes after his perusal of her body.

He finally said, "Rachel is that coffee you have there?"

She quipped, "Yes it is, my love. It is the only way I could get you to wake up. I was enjoying the view of you lying there in that bed and remembering everything we did together last night. Come out to the terrace with me and have some coffee. We have a great deal to accomplish today. As much as I would like to stay in bed all day with you, we just have so much time before the children arrive and we have to check out the rest of the house and then the town, the school and I want to explore some of the Island before they come, while we are still alone."

He got up out of the bed and she marveled again at his naked body in motion. He was in great shape and his wound was practically invisible now. The healing chamber in which he had been placed at the hospital yesterday had completed what was left of his healing. How incredible was that? It is no wonder they had ordered him to come to the Island immediately when he was wounded. Still she was glad he had decided to stay on the ship because she would not have missed all of those nights they had spent together on the ship, even without being able to do anything except to hold each other. The wait had made it all the sweeter when they did finally come together again yesterday and last night. She would not have changed that for anything.

He put on a pair of boxers and went out onto the terrace and they sat down at a small round table, which overlooked the ocean and the beautiful beach below their house. The Admiral had outdone himself with this house. They sat back and enjoyed the wonderful view and the feel of the morning sea air. They started planning what they would do today. Tom was just going to see if he could take advantage of the fact that they were still practically naked and could easily climb back in bed for some more sport with each other, when Zack gave him a call saying he would be at the house within the hour to take them for a tour of the Island. He also said that Naval Command wanted to have a meeting with them.

They barely had time to get showered and dressed. Tom had planning to wear civilian clothing, but because of the meeting with the brass, he had to wear his uniform. He wore his short sleeved summer whites and he brought his white cover with him. He looked quite handsome and he was so proud that she was wearing the ring he had given her.

Rachel wore one of her new outfits, which was flowing and cool. She also wore white. He inhaled the scent of the new shampoo and body wash she had purchased in town yesterday. The vanilla and pineapple scent was so fresh and sweet. He loved it. He found it so difficult to keep his hands off of her. He just wanted to touch her, even if it was only to have his hand at her waist.

While they waited for the transport to arrive, they took a quick tour of the rest of the house. The Master bedroom suite also had its own sitting area, walk-in closets and attached spa bathroom, with sunken tub. It also had a large shower which was big enough for both of them to fit comfortably. There were 4 additional bedrooms, just enough for Jed, the two children and a nursery for their little guy. There was a huge communications center in another area of the house, which also would be Tom's home office. There was another area which could be used for Rachel's private office, a separate library and place for the children to do their homework. There was a media room. The Island had a good store of movie videos in their large library, so they had been told. All of the bedrooms had wonderful ocean views and many of them had terraces. This entire house was beautifully furnished. There was also a fantastic pool below, which they had not even had a chance to look at or to use. They had to purchase bathing suits. Rachel started to make a list of things they needed. Actually the kitchen was completely stocked and fresh flowers had been brought from the people in the village. The great room was magnificent as was the family room at the back of the house opening out onto the patio where the pool was located. The house was truly a wonder. Never had Tom seen anything this elaborate for any navy man, even an Admiral.

They seemed to have a lot of property and there were walking paths that led into the trees as well as down to the beach. They could not wait to explore where these paths led. There was also a large white swing which would hold two, which hung from the branches of a huge tree at the back of the house, so they could look out to sea. There were so many places to lounge and enjoy the outside ocean air. It already felt like their home. They could not wait for the children to see it, though they were still looking forward to more alone time, together.

Rachel had made a quick breakfast for them, of bacon and eggs with toast and fresh butter and pineapple preserves from the village. They also had fresh mangos right from the Island. It was so wonderful and absolutely delicious.

Zack arrived right on time and he took them for a tour of the Island, the fields and farms, so they could see where they could get fresh fruit, fresh beef, chicken and fish. He also showed them where they could get horses to ride along the riding trails. They could not wait to do this. He also told them about a waterfall on their own property, down the second of those paths. He took them to another part of the Island where they had steel plants and to other new construction. They had lunch at one of the restaurants in the village and they were again treated like royalty. Both Zack and the Captain were wearing their summer whites and Rachel was well known by the town's people. The whole town thought they made a beautiful couple and today they were both wearing white, which made them a very handsome couple, indeed. They were congratulated by almost everyone. The jeweler had told a few people about the engagement rings that both the Captain and Danny had bought the first time they were in the village. Now, there was no one in the village that didn't know that they were engaged. They took a short tour of the church and spoke to one of the pastors. It was a lovely church with beautiful grounds. Tom was holding hands with Rachel. He could not help himself. He was so proud of her and now that she was truly his, it was difficult not to be touching her. Zack had noticed the ring when he picked them up and had congratulated them.

He took them by the school where the Captain's children would be going. It was modern and they knew they would be taking the children to be enrolled soon enough.

The Captain asked Zack if he had found his own house yet and how the boys were taking everything. Zack let him know that he was taking things slowly and was staying with the boys at his parent's house for a while. He did not want to take them out of what they were familiar with until they had time to get used to the idea of their mother being gone.

Later, Zack took them to the base where the meeting was to be held. The Admiral welcomed the Captain and Rachel into his office. There was another Admiral in a Naval Uniform and one also in a Navy/NASA uniform. Zack was also part of this meeting. After the formal introductions, they were asked to sit down. The Admiral started the conversation, "Tom, first of all, I want to congratulate you on your engagement to Rachel. We are all very happy for both of you."

Tom looked surprised and a little worried the Admiral might congratulate them on something else before he had a chance to tell him to keep the information under wraps, but the Admiral, just smiled and said. "Don't worry, the village is very close to the base and I heard about you purchasing the ring, and then just now saw it on Rachel's hand. I think the whole town knows you two are engaged. I am sure you will be hearing a lot of congratulations."

Tom said, "Yes, sir, we have heard nothing but congratulations today."

The Admiral continued, "Tom, Command has been discussing how best to use the Nathan James. After a great deal of deliberations, we have come to some different conclusions than I originally discussed with you. We think it is too dangerous to keep the Nathan James out there on the open sea. It will become a target and you have to keep finding places to refuel. We have decided to bring the Nathan James here to the Island, where we will have it anchor inside of the force field. It will be invisible to the satellites and to any other ship or planes which may be searching for it. None of the rest of the world knows anything about our new airships.

We have also decided that we should use some of the new construction on the other side of the Island to house the labs, where Dr. Scott can oversee the mass production of the vaccine. Now that our whole population is immune to the virus, it will not be a danger to our people. In fact, it will provide jobs for many of our scientists and our graduating college students who are all well versed in subjects which will allow them to be trained in various positions. We have University courses for our children here. They all have advanced math, biology and science courses to cover what you need.

We have scout ships going out all over the world who can find any items you may need, if we cannot make them on this Island. Once we have a location, we can send one of the transports. We can bring back anything you need from anyplace on earth. We are still establishing plants to make everything we need. It has not been totally accomplished yet, though we are practically self-sufficient. It would be too dangerous to have to send out our own people to a different island where the vaccine could be made, when we will have what we need here and it will be safe.

Captain, One of our scout ships has located a huge tanker which was stranded about 500 miles from the Panama Canal. We need for you to contact your ship and let them know that Kate will direct them to the location where they can refuel on their way here to the Island. We will transfer your crew to housing here on the Island and they will be able to be retrained to be part of the crew of your next command. You will also be retrained for that purpose.

Captain, at the same time, you will still be in command of your crew's missions. You will need to be sending them out on Kate's ship or some just like hers to continue getting the vaccine to different areas of the world and to find the other family members of your crew. We are also trying to find other military safe zones so that we can bring more of them here. This is a huge Island, most of which has not been yet developed. We have lots of room to take on more people, who are willing to make a new start here. Of course we want to take back our country, but we don't yet know what factions we are up against. We must be prepared to handle what we find. We will also be on the lookout for scientists who can help us here on the Island.

After you and your crew are ready for the new ship, you will have other missions which will be able to utilize the capabilities of the huge ship you will command. It is housed in an enormous facility which is far away from the village in a secret place on this island. We will take you to see it soon, perhaps as early as tomorrow. You will be assigned an area to do your mission planning with your crew and to have all the assistance you need in that area.

While you are here, Your XO should now begin to sail toward that tanker so they will have enough fuel to be able to make it here. It will take a few weeks to get here, but once here, all your people will have the benefit of a land base. What do you think, Tom? "

Tom looked at Rachel. She looked very happy. "It is all a lot to take in, Sir. It is such a complete change of plans from what you originally told me. Of course, I am very happy about having a land base for all of us. I don't have any idea about this huge ship I am to command. How large is it?"

The Admiral said, "Tom, you really have to see it to believe what it is capable of. You will be pleased, I can tell you that. We will also see about giving you much higher rank, considering you will be commanding the largest ship we have in existence right now. Just suffice it to say, that many smaller aircraft can be housed and launched off this ship. Your quarters on this ship will be twice the size of what you have on the Nathan James. Everything is larger. As I told you, this aircraft will also be able to land in the ocean and can sail on the surface as well as travel beneath the surface of the ocean. It has force field capabilities so that you can stave off any attacks. It has shields from attacks. It is like nothing you have ever seen before. We will bring you up to date with everything it can do and you already understand about how it uses antigravity propulsion, which you are already familiar with."

Tom said, "I really am anxious to see this ship, Sir, at your earliest convenience. I will contact Mike by SAT phone and have him set course for this Island as soon as you give me the coordinates and I will let him know about the tanker. I will maintain the R&R schedules for the crew until we get the whole crew here. We need to get the civilians off the Nathan James as soon as possible. It has never been safe for them there."

After the meeting was concluded, Tom asked if he could speak with the Admiral privately. When he was alone in the Admiral's office, the Admiral said," Well Tom, how do you like the new house?"

Tom said, "The house is beautiful, Sir. Rachel loves it and it far exceeds our greatest expectations. I wanted to thank you for choosing it for us."

He continued, "There is one thing, Sir. It has come to my attention that there is a medical report which you may or may not know about …"

The General interrupted him, "Yes, Tom, I am aware of it. The Dr. Carlson asked me to keep it under wraps. I don't want to make it classified, because others in secure positions would have to know what was classified. I am your commanding officer and I am the only one who would need to know about this. I will keep Dr. Scott's medical file in my locked desk drawer until you want her pregnancy known. You have a few months before she will even be showing and by that time you will already be married, I assume. When she comes back to the hospital for checkups, make sure she sees only Dr. Carlson. Congratulations Tom. I am sure this was a surprise to you."

Tom said "She told me after I asked her to marry me yesterday. Yes, it was a shock, but a happy one. Your new technology is amazing, that they could know so soon. It is a boy, Sir, but I guess you already know about that.

The Admiral laughed, "I will keep some cigars handy for the celebration when that little guy decides to make his appearance."

Tom couldn't help himself as he grinned boyishly. "I could not be happier, Sir, but I just don't want the crew to know at this point, not until after we are married."

The admiral said, "I understand completely, Tom. I am very happy for you both. You will have my complete support. Tell Dr. Scott not to worry about this information getting out. Dr. Carlson knows that I want this information kept quiet. You can depend on us."

Tom said, "Thank you, Sir,"

XXXXXXXX

They returned home, after the visit with the Admiral. Rachel was excited about having a place to mass produce the virus. She would check that out tomorrow as well as be able to see the new ship the Admiral was going to show Tom. They had bought bathing suits, and picnic baskets in the village. They both changed into beach garb took a trip down to the beach. They went down and lounged on the beach and even went into the ocean, which was so clear and beautiful. They spent a good hour and a half. The area was beautiful and the beach was clear of anyone else. The waves were not real rough and there was no undertow. They walked down the beach and found another area where the land jutted out creating a quiet cove area where they could snorkel or skin dive. They dove beneath the surface and found the most exquisite fish and undersea life. What a fantastically beautiful Island this was.

After they came out they went back up toward the house. Tom said. "That was great, but Zack said we have a waterfall on this property. Let's take that second path he was talking about and see where it takes us. Maybe we can go under the waterfall and get the salt off of us."

He took Rachel's small hand in his and they headed down the path. It led into tall trees and they went down hill until they could hear the sound of the waterfall. The sound was so intimate because they knew this belonged to them. Tom grinned at Rachel. "This feels like another adventure, Baby Tiger."

They continued down to an area below. They suddenly stepped into the grotto. There was a natural pool of clear water, which had been carved out of the stone by the most beautiful water fall. They both looked up to the top of it and they could see how the rays of the sun filtered down through the water with a rainbow of color giving their waterfall a magical quality which took their breath away. The place where the water struck the pool was also full of sunlight and was the most exquisite blue color.

They could not wait to step into this magical pool. Tom looked around the pool and spotted a place where the rocks formed somewhat of a stairstep effect into the pool. He led the way and began to walk down the natural stone steps leading into the pool. He turned to Rachel and offered her his hand for balance. She placed her tiny hand into his large one and looked into his handsome face and into his ocean blues. The water was warm to his skin, which he had not expected. He stepped in below his waist and waited for her to join him. He looked up as she stepped down a couple of the stone steps until he reached up and placed his large hands around her waist and he pulled her into the pool and drew her in to his arms. Then, he took a few steps down until they were chest deep into the pool.

His hands moved from her waist, up her sides until he reached her bikini top. He reached around her and released the clasp and he pulled it off, leaving her round breasts free to his touch. He could not keep his hands off of those beautiful orbs. He gently fondled them. She wrapped her legs around his waist under the water as he was taking full advantage of her naked breasts. He kissed her lips deeply as he was rubbing his thumbs back and forth and in circles over her nipples, which had grown taut at the attention they were getting. He thrust his tongue deep into her mouth and she met him with hers. He then kissed her neck and took tiny nips all the way down to her chest.

Rachel released her legs from around his waist and she pushed back from him. She dove beneath the water which was crystal clear. She could see his body clearly and she placed one hand beneath the waistband of his trunks, sliding her hand slowly and seductively down his lower abdomen, ever closer to her destination. She felt his stomach tighten as she did this. She then slowly teasingly removed her hand and then lowered his trunks, down over his hips, so slowly, lower and lower until his fully erect shaft was free as she lowered his trunk to his knees, as he kicked them off, leaving him completely naked. She took his shaft in her hand and placed the tip into her mouth, moving her tongue around it. She released it from her mouth and came up for air. She was met by the look of extreme pleasure and a bit of mischievousness in his baby blues. He was a bit breathless, which let her know he was reacting just the way she wanted him to react to what she was doing.

He then dived down and he placed his large hands over her hips and slowly moved down to her bikini bottoms. Hooking his thumbs into the narrow bands and slid them down her beautiful legs and she gently moved her legs out of them. They both were now completely naked. He pulled her body close to his. She could feel his hardened length against her stomach. She reached down and placed her hand around it again, running her thumb ever so lightly over the tip. She took his rounded pair in her other hand and ever so gently played with them. This action on her part, took his breath away and he came to the surface immediately.

He groaned,"Rachel, you are driving me crazy. Two can play this game you know, you little minx."

He pulled away from her and dived beneath the water. She felt him kissing and sucking her nipples under the water, moving his tongue in circular motions around each of them. Then, she felt his fingers spreading her legs apart. He found her folds and thrust two of his fingers into her depths, while using his other hand to gently caress her small bud. He moved his fingers around inside of her channel in such a way that he was reaching all of those special hidden places that were driving her mad with passion. He came up for air, but continued to draw his fingers out and then to thrust them back inside of her. She moaned his name and kissed his lips. She took his shaft in her hand saying, "Tom, I want this inside of me, now, Tom, now! You are driving me mad."

He removed his hand from between her legs and she immediately spread her legs wide apart and she placed his throbbing shaft into position. She held on to his shoulders as he drove his length into her silken depths. She arched her back to give him more access and bending her knees wrapped her legs around his hips, placing her heels on his buttocks . He thrust his full length in and out, but added a little circular motion of his hips at the point of deepest thrust, grinding his pelvis for added friction against her small bud. This really drove her into a frenzy and she dug her nails into his shoulders. She thrust her hips forward to meet him and to match that circular motion. This caused her walls to spasm against his length, which threatened to send him over the cliff before he was ready. She was making little whimpering sounds which drove him to give her even more pleasure. "Oh Tom, please….please don't stop now."

He said, "Oh, Baby Tiger, I won't stop now. You are almost there and so am I. He increases his pace, thrusting faster and faster.

She almost screamed, "Tom, Oh Tom, that's it, please….. That's it...that's it ….Oh my god…."

Her body exploded in wave after wave of ecstasy, bringing him over the cliff with her as her walls were sending spasms of pleasure all down his throbbing shaft as he felt the fireworks within his own body exploding. The sounds of their lovemaking echoed around the grotto, but they had no fear of being heard. This was their home and their own magical waterfall.

Tom held her to his chest as the two of them came down slowly from their mutual pleasure. Their naked bodies felt so good in the water and as they held each other for a few minutes more. They swam long enough to find his trunks and her bikini. They climbed out of the pool and found their towels. They dried each other off and lay down on the blanket they had brought with them, still naked. They lay there together intertwined feeling the sun coming through the trees, bathing their skin with warmth, but still shading them as they enjoyed looking at the beautiful falls and hearing that wonderful relaxing sound. Rachel rolled over, looking at him as he lay there on his back. He was magnificent and he was hers. She could stay like this forever.

He looked into her eyes and said, "Baby Tiger, I love you more than life. I always want you by my side, to never be without you. You are so beautiful. My children love you and my dad loves you. Now, just think about it. You are the mother of my son, our son. What shall we name him, Rachel?"

Rachel laid her head on his chest and said. "It is so early to decide. We both just found out yesterday. I would like him to be called Thomas, after you, my love."

Tom said, "Maybe we could call him Nathan. It is the name of my ship. It is a proud ship where we met and fell in love. He could be named after the ship that saved the world. We can call him Nate for short. Do you like that, Baby Tiger?"

She said, "I do like that, but I also want him to be named after you, Tom. You are the Captain of that ship. Maybe we should call him Nathan Thomas Chandler."

He said. "I like that, Rachel. I like that name very much."

He ran his hand over her lower abdomen and said, "Just think, baby Nate lives right in there.

Rachel, everything is going to be different now. Now that you have the ring, everyone on the Nathan James will know that we are a couple and we will be a family shortly. We already are as far as I am concerned. We will need to tell the children what is happening as soon as they get here. My dad is expecting it, I know. We only have a little more time alone, but we will have our master suite that is quite large. I wish this grotto could be ours alone, but there is no way the children will not find it. "

Rachel said. "Well, the Admiral said that the new ship has a stateroom which is twice as big as the one you have now. You can be sure the bed is also bigger. Also, this Island is very large. There must be many romantic places where we can be alone. The children will be often in school. Don't worry, my love, we will find our special times together. It will be fun to explore and find new places."

He kissed her deeply on the lips. "Speaking of special times, we are lying here stark naked and we are totally alone. I think I want to see what else this magical place has to offer. What would it be like making love right here on this blanket? What do you say Baby Tiger?"

She said, "Well, Captain, there is no way your Baby Tiger is going to let you lie stark naked on this blanket without taking full advantage of it. I am going to do things to you that will show you just how much I love you. We are going exploring again together. Are you alright with that, my dearest Captain?"

"Well now, Baby Tiger, just get your little tail over here and show me exactly what you are going to do to me," he said with a low growl.

XXXXXXX

The next morning, they were up early because the Admiral was taking them to see Tom's next command. That was very exciting. Even knowing that, it was difficult to get out of bed because they both were so relaxed. Yesterday had been full of love making and the most wonderful times together. They never tired of one another. They were clearly making up for lost time and trying to squeeze in as many times together as they could, before the children arrived. Last night, after they had come back from the magical grotto, they had eaten something, had a bit of wine and had taken a long hot soak in the sunken tub together. After this, they had gone to bed, but they just enjoyed being together and talking about the future and how wonderful it would be to have a home and a land base to return to.

Today, Admiral or no Admiral, Tom decided he wanted them to take a shower together. Rachel said laughingly, "Now Tom, you know if we take a shower together that we will not get out of there in a timely manner. Now, get in there and take your shower!"

He said, "Yes, ma'am."

She could hear him turning on the water, but after about two minutes, she heard him yell, "Rachel, I need you to come in here and scrub my back."

She said, "Tom, you remember the last time I went in there and scrubbed your back. We did not come out of there for an hour and you know it. I know what you have in mind, my dear and we can't keep the Admiral waiting while we indulge ourselves. You forget, this is our very own bathroom and suite and even with the children, we can do this almost any time we want."

He said, "That is the problem, Baby Tiger. You are addicting and I can never get enough of you."

She stood there, as he stepped out of the shower, looking at his magnificent body. "And you think you are not addicting, my love? That feeling is absolutely mutual, but we have to be strong."

She had stepped out of her T-shirt and he grabbed her just as she was ready to step into the shower. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. Their skin was touching all the way down and it felt wonderful. They would have continued, but their communicator buzzed and it was Zack on the line, saying the Admiral would be at their house to pick them up in about 30 minutes. Rachel pulled away from Tom and she jumped into the shower and washed her hair.

Somehow, the two of them were ready when the Admiral arrived. Tom had to be in uniform when the Admiral would be showing him the new ship. After saluting the Admiral, they climbed into the transport and they were off. The transport took them into an underground passage and that took about 30 minutes before it slowed and stopped. After they got out with the Admiral, they stepped into an elevator and were taken down even farther below the surface. When the elevator stopped, the Admiral said, "Sorry, this took so long, but this is top secret even from most of the village people on this Island. So, here we go."

The elevator opened into a huge working hanger of sorts, with an enormously high ceiling. They looked up and saw an absolutely huge ship, like nothing either of them had ever seen before. It took their breath away. Tom said, "I thought you said, I would not be the next Captain Kirk, This looks like a ship designed for space travel, Admiral, are you really trying to tell me this is my next command? I certainly have no idea how to captain this ship, as beautiful as it is."

The Admiral quickly added, "Tom, believe it or not, this is not a spaceship. I mean it can fly in space, but it is not for long trips which would take you, say to Mars. It is designed to be used for up to a month before coming back to home base, but, with everything that is happening now with our own planet, it will be used within the atmosphere primarily. You saw the way Kate's advanced transport works, in the air, on water and under water. With this ship, you could stay underwater, as a temporary base, if need be, for up to a month, without breaking the surface, or it could sit on the surface and move like a war ship. Remember, It can be cloaked or in stealth mode for as long as you need it to be. It also has shields against any attack that you might encounter. You can just disappear and no one will be able to find you."

There were workers doing different projects on the outside of the ship. It was not yet ready to be launched, it was clear. It certainly looked from the outside, almost ready, however.

There was a ramp leading into an opening into the ship. It was almost oval and was the most magnificent ship they had ever seen, but looked nothing like a seagoing ship. They followed the Admiral inside. They went on an elevator to the bridge of the ship. It was huge and had wide windows, which gave them a view of 360 degrees. There was a large Captain's chair near the center of the room. The Admiral said, "Tom, try it on for size."

Tom sat down in the Captain's chair, realizing that this ship was designed for him to command and this chair had never been used by another Captain. He was trying to imagine himself commanding this huge vessel. The chair felt fine, but he did know anything about how this ship worked.

The Admiral said, as if he was reading Tom's mind, "Tom, you understand more than you think about the way this works and we will teach you the rest. All of your crew will have to be trained, as well. In addition, you will have a much larger crew, which is already being trained. The crew on the Nathan James will be your core crew, the people you already know. Remember they were all hand picked by Zack. You will want Mike as your XO, but eventually, he will probably be commanding one of these, himself. Kate will be your Science Officer. She knows this ship from stem to stern. She helped design it. She knows every aspect of all systems aboard. She will be directly answering to you, Captain."

The Admiral pointed out the XO's' chair and all of the computers and chairs of the bridge crew. He said, "Just imagine being underwater and seeing all the fish and undersea life out of these windows and imagine seeing the earth below you, out of these windows."

Tom's stomach did a flip flop with that in his imagination. He realized he would have to take this one step at a time, if he was going to get his head around this.

The admiral took him down to the engine room and up to the Captain's quarters. He said, "Tom, this is the Captain's suite. He opened the door and they all stepped inside. Neither of them could believe how lavish this was for a war ship. He had a full size office with a leather chair at the desk. There were monitors all over the wall and a chair to be able to sit and control the computers. There were a couple of other chairs with which he could use to have smaller meetings of several officers in his quarters. He was then shown into his private quarters. It had a large queen size bed and was long enough to accommodate his height with ease. There was a large chest of drawers, a large closet for a ship stateroom, enough for all of his dress uniforms, as well as several sets of BDUs. There was a real bathroom with a shower which was the size of a normal shower and had jets which were set to spray the whole body. It was truly something. He would want to take Rachel with him sometimes if it was safe enough to do so, he thought. There was also a separate area with a sofa and a large comfortable recliner chair. There was a screen which could be used for entertainment or if he needed to see something the bridge was sending to him.

The Admiral was enjoying showing off what he and his people had been working on for so long and now the ship had the Captain they had always wanted for this ship. The Plan was at last coming together. "Don't worry, Tom, when we get through putting you through your paces with this ship, you will know everything about the way it moves and I know you will love commanding it. Your crew's quarters are also much larger and everyone will be so much more comfortable on this ship. He took them to see the huge wardroom and also, the crew's lounge and gym, the showers, the library, the CIC and where the crew could come out onto the deck, when the ship was in the water. He saw the armaments and the big guns, torpedoes and the flares, the flight decks and the flight hangers. It could hold smaller airships, which were also propelled by antigravity. He showed them the sick bay, which even had an operating room. It also had a lab area and a way to decontaminate people who were exposed to radiation or any virus, etc.

Tom and Rachel were very excited about the ship and all of its capabilities. The Admiral said to Rachel that her labs were not ready yet, but would probably be set up in another 2 weeks. He assured her it was the land base she wanted.

The Admiral asked the Captain if he and Rachel would like to go with Kate to pick up the children and his father, today. It would give him a chance to speak to Mike and the crew about what was happening regarding coming to the Island. Tom Agreed. He went by himself because neither she nor Tom wanted to spring their relationship on anyone before they had time to discuss it with the children and Jed first. Rachel said she would be waiting for them when they landed.

XXXXX

Please drop me a line to let me know what you think of the story so far. It really means a lot to us writers.


	32. Chapter 32 Home From The Sea

Chapter 32 Home From The Sea

Note: I am putting this chapter out pretty fast following Chapter 31, because we only have a few more days until Season 2. Be sure you did not miss the last chapter. It will be important so you understand the whole picture of what is happening.

XXX

Rachel was waiting for Tom, the children and Jed as they stepped out of Kate's transport ship. Both children threw themselves into her arms as they ran off the ramp. She could see how excited they were. Tom and Jed followed them.

Tom was in uniform, having come directly from the Nathan James, which was now in route to the Island. All hands were so happy that they would have a land base and some security for a change. They had all been through some pretty traumatic times and had lost a number of their friends and shipmates as well as many family members. It was a relief to all to know that they finally would have a safe land base to take whatever family members could still be found.

Rachel hugged the children who were pelting her with excited questions about all kinds of subjects and they were both talking at once.

Catching up with them, Tom said, "Ease up on Rachel you two. She can't hear both of you talking at the same time. Now, hop into the transport and we will take you to see your new home. There will be plenty of time for all of your questions, I promise you."

They all piled into the transport, which was all new to them. Sammy said, "This is so cool, daddy. It is like we are driving on air. It doesn't make any noise."

Tom said, it is practically on air and it is very different. I think you will see a number of things that are quite different, here, buddy."

Ashley was looking all around and said, "Are we really going to live here on this beautiful Island, daddy?"

Tom put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "We sure are, Ash. Just wait until you see our house."

Rachel said, "There is a wonderful school here and you will see a number of your old friends. We can't wait to show you everything."

Sammy had plopped himself down right next to Rachel and was snuggling into her arms. "We missed you Rachel. Why didn't you come with daddy?"

She ruffled his hair with her hand and said, "Well, I had to get the house ready for you and Ashley and we wanted to have a special dinner tonight, just for all of us."

Ashley saw Rachel's ring and she said, "Oh Rachel, what a beautiful ring."

She looked at her father and said "Dad does that mean…..?"

Her father smiled and nodded. "Yes, Ashley, Rachel and I have some things we need to discuss with you, Sammy and your grandfather, tonight."

Ashley gave a little squeal and reached over to hug Rachel and then her father, with a huge look of happiness on her face. Jed gave Rachel a wink and locked eyes with his son and just nodded with a huge look of satisfaction on his face, saying, "And about time, too. You did good, son. "

The transport rounded the bend and stopped before their house. The children's mouths dropped open as they looked beyond the house out to the ocean views. Ashley said in amazement. "Oh Rachel, this can't be our very own house. It is huge and I can see the ocean. Look Sammy."

All three of the new arrivals stood in awe of what they saw in front of them. They all started walking toward the house. Tom opened the door and he let them all walk in, as he and Rachel brought up the rear. Tom put has his arm around Rachel's waist and hugged her to him. The children ran right through from the front to the back of the house where the terraces were. They looked out to the ocean views and to what they could see of the beaches below. They both screamed when they saw the pool which lit up beautifully at night. They ran upstairs to find their rooms and Jed just turned around facing Tom and Rachel. "My god, this place is fantastic. I guess the townspeople have shown you how much they appreciate what you have done for them. I have never seen anything like this for naval housing."

Tom said, "Yes, indeed, it is our house, Pop and you have a room upstairs as well. We both want this to be your home also, if you don't mind all the noise of the children. I guess you have become accustomed to it by now. You will have a little peace when we get them into school. We will introduce all of you to the village tomorrow, after everyone goes through the standard medical procedure they have here. We will all stop there before we can do anything else, tomorrow morning."

After dinner, they all went out onto the terrace and were sitting around the in ground fire pit for the first time for all of them. The beautiful colors of the sunset were stunning. The children were so happy to be with their dad and Rachel, with their father not having to report to the bridge.

Tom started the conversation off, "Well, now that we are all together in this beautiful place, Rachel and I have some news that we wanted to share with you before we tell anyone else. You will be the first ones to know."

Sammy looked at his father with big round eyes. "What do you have to tell us daddy?"

Tom picked up Rachel's left hand and held it so that Sammy could see it. Do you see this ring, Sammy? That means that I have asked Rachel to become my wife."

Sammy said, "Does that mean that Rachel will live here in this house with us?"

Ashley said, "Well of course it does, silly."

Sammy said, "Does that mean you will love Rachel harder, dad, so I can get a baby brother?"

His father looked at Rachel and they both laughed. Then Tom spoke to his son in a somewhat serious tone. "Sammy, I already love Rachel very much and we are going to tell you something that we want you to keep just between us here in our family, okay?"

Sammy looked very seriously at his daddy. You want me to keep a secret, daddy?"

His father said very sternly. "Sammy, can I trust you with this secret. You can only talk about it to our own family, is that clear?"

Sammy's eyes were wide with curiosity, "Yes, daddy, I promise."

Tom said, "Sammy, you got your wish, buddy. The doctor told us that Rachel already has a baby boy growing in her tummy. He is very tiny so you can't even tell he is there yet. It will take him about 3 more months before you start seeing her tummy getting any larger, so people will not know your little brother is in there, but you will know. Isn't that great news, buddy? He has to stay in there where he is safe until much later. Babies can only grow when they are inside the mommy's tummy."

Both children were jumping up and down. Ashley ran over and kissed Rachel and then her father. She said, "Daddy that is wonderful news. Can we go with Rachel when she has a sonogram? We want to see our baby brother?"

Rachel said, "You can all come with us to see the baby. Your father will want to see the baby also."

Sammy suddenly got quiet. Rachel hugged him and said, "Alright Sammy, what is bothering you, baby?"

He said," When you and daddy get the new baby, will you still love me and Ashley?"

Rachel said, "Oh Sammy, sweetheart. Of course we will still love you, more than ever. You will be the best, most important big brother. Your baby brother will need you to help him grow bigger. He could not do without you and your father and I could never do without you. We both love you and Ashley so very much and that will never change. You know that I can never take the place of your mother, but I want you to know that I love you both like you are my own children and I will always feel that way about you and Ashley. I hope that you and Ashley can accept me into your family.

Sammy and Ashley both ran to Rachel and told her how much they loved her. It made her heart swell to know how they really felt about her."

Tom said, "You know, buddy, when you were born, we had Ashley and she had never had a baby brother before, but what happens when we have a new baby brother or sister come into the family, there is always more love in the family, not less. You will love your new baby brother and so will your sister and we will love all of you more, because love only grows. The more you give your love, the more love you have to give."

Ashley said," Is the baby's room going to be the one upstairs, without a balcony? Could we help you decorate it.?"

Rachel said," Yes, that is the nursery and of course you can help decorate, but the baby will not be here for about 8 months and we will not have to decorate for a while, yet. What we need to do right away, is to get you both new clothes and to decorate your rooms. You need bathing suits and a lot of other things. It will be so much fun to go shopping together, won't it?"

Rachel said, "We will also need to plan a wedding for me and your father. Ashley, will you help me choose a wedding dress? We will also need a dress for you and a suit for Sammy."

Ashley said, "When will the wedding be, daddy?"

Tom said, "I am not sure yet. We have to wait for the ship to get here and for our people to get settled in. Danny and Kara will be having their wedding right away. Ours should be within a month of that, as soon as we can plan it, baby.

Tom said, "Tomorrow, we are going to show you around the Island and the village. There is so much to see and do on this island. You can even go horseback riding. Now, it is about time to get you all to bed. You can leave your windows open so you can breath in the fresh sea air. You can even hear the surf when you are in bed."

When Tom and Rachel were together, later that night, soaking in their fantastic sunken tub, they were talking about how the children took the news about their wedding and the new baby. They were so happy that the children seemed to love the house and everything about it. They were feeling like a real family and they were looking forward to taking the children into the village and letting them see the Island.

Jed said that he would get up and fix breakfast for everybody tomorrow. It was so good to know that his father would be here with the children when he and Rachel could not be.

Tom and Rachel knew they would have to return to the Nathan James to be with the crew for the last part of the journey to the Island. Rachel was needed to make more vaccine, until the lab here on the Island could be built. She asked Tom if she should remove her ring until they returned to the Island. Tom told her that he would make an announcement on the Nathan James so that everyone would know about her new status and that the rules were beginning to change a bit. New rules would have to be made, but he would not hear of them keeping this a secret from the crew. He said, "No Rachel, you will return to the Nathan James as my future wife. It will be hard to go back to the small bed in my stateroom, but we will manage and there will not be any sneaking around."

XXXX

In the middle of the night, Tom and Rachel were awakened suddenly by Ashley's terrified scream from down the hall. Tom jumped out of the bed, grabbed his sweat pants and had them on in less than 10 seconds. He ran down the hall to Ashley's room. She was sitting up in bed sobbing. Sammy ran into the room rubbing his eyes and he was terrified. Tom sat on Ashley's bed and lifted her onto his lap and held her she cried. "There now, Ash, It's alright, honey. You are just having a bad dream. You haven't had one of those in a long time, have you, baby?"

She sobbed into his shoulder as he stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. Rachel had thrown on a tank top and pajama shorts and had followed Tom into Ashley's room. Sammy ran to Rachel and she wrapped him in her arms as he was also crying, remembering that experience in Baltimore. It still haunted them.

Ashley said, "I was so scared, daddy. It was awful, they were shooting at us and we were all so sick. Daddy, please don't leave me. Can I come and sleep in your bed tonight, daddy?"

She was shaking uncontrollably and Sammy was reliving the same thing. Rachel was holding on to Sammy and she looked at Tom, She nodded to Tom. These children needed them tonight. They still had some trauma from Baltimore. They all did. Tom carried Ashley to their room and Rachel led Sammy behind him. Rachel nodded at Jed and said that everything would be alright.

Tom laid Ashley down on the bed and Rachel put Sammy in on her side, so that both children were in the center of the bed. Tom put on a T-shirt and climbed into bed, holding his daughter in his arms, comfortingly and Ashley's shaking was calming. Rachel climbed in after Sammy placing her arm around him and after a while he finally began to calm down, his little head resting on her breast. It was not long before everything was still again and they all slept.

XXX

The next morning, they awakened to the smell of bacon and pancakes. Rachel got the children up and out of bed. "Ashley, Sammy, go try out your new showers. Put on clean clothing and come downstairs. Your grandfather has made his famous pancakes for us."

The children were both so excited about exploring the Island and all the new things they would see today, that the bad dreams of the night before were completely forgotten. They both rushed through the showers and were dressed and ready for adventure before Rachel and Tom were even downstairs.

Finally, Tom could wear civilian clothing. Zack called to tell them he would be picking them up to go to medical in about an hour. Somehow, Jed got everybody fed and ready to go out the door to board the transport by the time that Zack arrived.

After Jed and the children had been through medical and had their clearances and identity paperwork and badges, they were off to the village. They had lunch at one of the restaurants and the people were delighted to find clothing and bathing suites for the children of the Captain. It had been a long time since they had any new clothing and they now looked presentable to go to the school.

XXXXX

When they arrived, the younger children were all outside the school for recess, while the older students were on a break between classes. Zack got everyone out of the transport and the children and their parents were all checking out what they could see. Ashley was the first to react. "Oh, dad, there is Erick."

Ashley took off at a run and literally threw herself into the arms of a handsome young man who happened to be the spitting image of his father, Zack. He, like the other students was wearing the military cadet uniform which was charcoal black in color. The Captain smiled and was watching this reunion of his daughter with her childhood friend, when he was stunned at what happened next. Eric, who had turned out to be extremely handsome, like his father Zack, accepted the hug with enthusiasm, but was looking down at Ashley with a boyish grin and a look of curiosity.

At that moment another boy who looked identical to Eric rushed over to the two and grabbed Ashley right out of Eric's arms. He picked her up in his arms and swept her off her feet, as he twirled her around, before he set her down on her feet again. He said, "Ashley, you are here at last. Dad said you would be coming soon. I can't believe you are actually here. I was so worried about you and Sam and your whole family. Thank God you are safe!"

He turned around in a laughing manner and said to the first boy, "Keep your hands off of her, Zack, I saw her first. Oh, Ashley, this is Zack, a friend of mine.

Zack laughed out loud saying. "You may have seen her first, Eric, but she threw herself into my arms."

Eric laughed back, "Only because she thought you were me. We don't know how it happened, Ashley, but we look like twins, though he is a year older than me. You will just have to look very close to tell us apart. It is very strange. Zack was born in France, when his parents were visiting Europe. I met him when I came to the Island. He was already here on the Island, living here with his parents."

Ashley looked at the other boy and said shyly "I am so sorry, Zack. I mistook you for my friend, Eric. You must have thought I was daft or something."

She was blushing and looked very pretty as Zack looked down at her. "Oh I wasn't sure what to think, except how was I so lucky to have such a pretty girl throw herself into my arms. It was a rather nice way to meet you, Ashley."

Eric took Ashley, possessively, by the arm and said. "Well, now that you have met, let's go talk about you,Ashley and all that has been happening."

He started leading her away from Zack, but Ashley looked back over her shoulder at Zack and he was still watching her. He smiled when he saw her look back and gave her a wink. She smiled and turned her attention back to her friend, Eric.

The Captain had heard this entire encounter and he turned around and looked at his friend, Zack, with a perplexed frown on his face. The Captain said," Did you see what just happened?"

Zack looked a little sheepish, "Yes, I did, Tom, and I am sure you would like to have an explanation."

The Captain said, "Why is it that I have the feeling that you, Zack, can enlighten me about how that little situation occurred? Exactly who is this Zack and what is his relationship to you? Don't you even try to tell me it is all a coincidence."

Zack took Tom aside and explained the whole situation and how it had happened. The Captain took it all in and simply asked, "How did you and Kate get through all the medical scans lately, since they now do that blood/DNA panel thing?"

Zack said, "We didn't. It came up when I went through my physical, when I came here with Kate, a couple of weeks ago. It named me and Kate as the blood parents of Zack. The Admiral was advised and he is keeping it private until it can be all straightened out with time. He was okay with it, since Zack was my son and not yours. He knew that we would eventually get married and be able to tell Zack that he is my son, but that will take some time. My other sons would not understand our relationship this close to my telling them about Cynthia's death. It is complicated, but will all be worked out eventually. The Admiral is fine with it and will keep our secret until it no longer needs to be a secret. I was really worried that you would not understand what happened back then."

Tom said, "If you had told me about it when it happened, I probably would have knocked your block off, but knowing how we were all being manipulated back then and how what they did to her, by forcibly keeping us apart, could have driven Kate to suicide, as young as she was. I am glad that you cared enough about her and me to take care of her in the best way you could.

When I thought I was not going to make it back, after I was tortured, I asked you to take care of Kate and I meant I wanted her to be with you because I knew you cared about her. I trusted you to do that. I think on some level, I knew you loved her too. It is unfortunate that that she was not allowed to have contact with you because of your friendship with me, so you could have married her, but everything happens for a reason and I know you had a wonderful happy life with Cynthia, as I did with Darien. Tell Kate, that I understand what happened and that I am happy that you will eventually be able to be all together as a family.

Zack said. "It is funny, but Eric and Zack are very good friends, even though they are a year apart in age. They even call each other 'Bro' to be funny and to confuse everyone. They are so much alike in so many ways. Because of that friendship, I get to spend time with Zack. I often take all the boys horseback riding. We can include Ashley and Sammy, if it would be alright with you."

Sammy had found Zack's other son, Chris and they were having a great time planning what they would do together. Zack arranged for the children to come to the Captain's house for a family get together and to bring their swimming suits, for the weekend.

Rachel and Tom got the children enrolled in school and took care of all of the paperwork they would have to get uniforms for them and this was exciting for both children, especially being reunited with their friends. This school was more like a military school, so the uniforms had a military look about them. There were ranks and older children teaching younger children in drills and discipline, not like the old plaid skirts and jumpers of the past. It did not mean that all the children would go into the military, but it helped them be serious about their studies and the drill teams with marching were kind of fun to be part of. They also had a cadet band.

Ashley looked darling in her uniform. It fit her small figure a little too well, as far as the Captain was concerned, but he knew she would be kept in good physical shape by the attention to keeping their bodies in tip top condition. With those uniforms, it left very little to the imagination. Sammy even looked so cute in his military cadet uniform. The children were given time to play and this was important to Rachel. The children seemed to be happy outside of school in their other activities and there was plenty of time for civilian clothes.

XXXXX

A few weeks later, the Nathan James arrived at the Island. There was a huge celebration and shore leave for everyone. The children and Jed met their father and Rachel at the dock, along with the Admiral.

All of the crew had been delighted when the Captain had made his formal announcement, shortly after he and Dr. Scott had returned to the Nathan James after their short R&R on the Island. The Captain had proudly announced on the Com, that day, on the Bridge, that Dr. Rachel Scott had done him the honor of accepting his hand in marriage. A huge cheer had gone up all over the ship.

It had been suspected for a while, that the Doctor and their Captain had strong feelings for one another. This suspicion was reinforced, especially after the Captain was wounded recently, trying to save her and by the comments he made about her, when he was still out of his head, on the transport coming back to the Nathan James. Then Dr. Scott had insisted that she and she alone would stay with him in his stateroom, during the two days and nights that he was going through the worst part of his recovery.

They all had noticed how the Captain's children treated Dr. Scott like she was part of their family. It was something to see. Dr. Scott seemed to be the only one who could bring the Captain back to normal, when he went on a rant. Those were the times that everyone knew not to get in his crosshairs. Dr. Scott was fearless and could calm him in short order. It had been seen especially when he was wounded.

Their Captain was not a good patient, but she had managed to handle him, even when Dr. Rios was ready to put him in restraints, if he tried to come to the bridge when he had a concussion. The whole crew had played along and pretended none of them knew anything. Now, however, they were all full of congratulations upon his formal announcement. They all respected and loved their"badass" Captain. They would have followed him to hell and back if he asked, for they already knew he would give his own life for any of them. They wished him happiness with Dr. Scott, who had also earned her status as part of their Nathan James family.

After they had all come ashore and all went through processing, which took a few days, they were all given living quarters. All members of the crew were given excellent living accommodations. Mike had a lovely house, which was not that far from the Captain's house. He and Christine had plenty of room for all of their family.

After Zack's boys visited Ashley and Sam's house, they insisted that their dad needed to get a house for their family,as well. Zack found a beautiful new home that he and Kate had secretly decided would be big enough for eventually all four of their children, including his son Zack, when they were ready to let everyone know about their relationship. This lovely house was also in the same vicinity as was the Captain's house.

All crew members were told about the new ship they would be manning. They were all given at least a week to get settled in before missions would be resumed to find other family members and to distribute vaccine.

Now that the whole crew of the Nathan James was on land, a wedding was in order for Kara and Danny. They were married in a ceremony at the village church. The Captain gave Kara away and Rachel helped her with her dress. She looked beautiful. Alisha was her maid of honor and there was a full Navy formal wedding where everyone wore their dress whites. It was the wedding of Kara's dreams. Kara, with the help of Rachel and Alisha had chosen a beautiful dress with and empire waist. She was very tiny in build so her protruding baby bump was well hidden by the dress and the extra lace which draped down over part of the satin. Danny thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Rachel held the reception at the Captain's house and everyone got to enjoy the beautiful sunset and the magnificent grounds, the ocean views and the wonderful interior of the house. The music and dancing lasted well beyond the time the bride and groom left the party. Alicia sang with the band they had from the village.

As the Captain and Rachel danced at the reception, they knew that they were next. Rachel had even caught the wedding bouquet. Rachel looked up at her handsome Captain looking so spectacular in his dress whites, his ocean blue eyes shining with happiness as he looked at his beautiful Rachel. Rachel looked at the other couples and everyone was looking at them. She said, Tom, everyone is looking at us?"

He said, "I don't care if they know how much I love you Rachel. They are probably looking at how beautiful you are."

She said, "Or how handsome their Captain is in his dress whites. How I love you Tom. I never want to be away from you."

He placed her hand against his heart and said, "Always know, my love, that I carry you always right here in my heart, no matter how many miles separate us. You are never away from me that way. It has been that way for a while now, even before I first told you that I loved you."

He pulled her closer as they danced and she laid her head against his chest, as the music continued. She could feel the soft sea breeze caressing her skin and she felt like they were truly in paradise here, in this special place hidden from the rest of the world.

XXXXXXX

A month later Tom and Rachel were awakened in the middle of the night and it was Danny calling. He told her that Kara was in labor. He had taken her to the hospital and she wanted Rachel to be with her when the baby came.

Tom had her at the hospital within the hour and she stayed with them both until their new baby son was born about 18 hours later. Kara got her wish for they let Rachel actually deliver the baby boy and she had the pleasure of placing him in his mommy's arms. He was a healthy baby as beautiful as his parents were. Danny was so proud and Kara was going to make a wonderful mother, Rachel knew. She hadn't even told anyone about her own baby boy, but her wedding was already planned and after that, she could look forward to her own announcement. They named the little boy, Daniel Franklin Green.

XXXXXX

Hope you liked the story, just one more chapter to go, before Season 2 will be out. Write me a line if you liked this chapter.


	33. Chapter 33 New Beginnings

Chapter 33 New Beginnings

Note: I have put the last 3 chapters into publication very fast so that I could finish before S2 starts next Sunday. Please make sure you have read the previous chapters before you read this one. Hope you enjoy. Thanks Scousedancer for your feedback on this chapter.

Rachel awakened slowly, relishing the feeling of the sea breeze gently caressing the skin on her face, her shoulders and her arms. The air was so pure and clean as she breathed the freshness into her body. She instinctively reached for Tom, but found herself alone in their king size bed. She opened her eyes and scanned the bed and then the room. She got up and walked out onto their ample balcony, overlooking the ocean and the beaches. There she spotted the object of her search. Her love was barefoot, in only his boxer shorts, standing there, in deep thought, looking out to sea, his chiseled features, outlined in the early morning light. She came up behind him, throwing her arms around his body and pulling herself into a close embrace, her breasts pressed closely into the muscles of his back and her cheek pressed into his shoulders. "A penny for your thoughts, my love?"

He turned around within her embrace so that now he held her in his arms, his azure blue eyes meeting her own with a look of pure happiness. "I was just thinking about tomorrow. We have waited so long. Tomorrow, you will truly belong to me, Baby Tiger. How will you feel as Dr. Rachel Chandler?"

Rachel looked up at him with excitement dancing in her eyes, "I have been saying that over and over in my mind, since you first asked me to marry you, Captain Thomas Chandler, or should I say Admiral Thomas Chandler? You make me so proud to be your wife. It makes me so happy to think about it. I get butterflies in my stomach, just too really know I would finally belong to you and you would truly belong to me. To think that tomorrow, we will actually be saying the words that will make us a family, a real family."

They cuddled together in a swinging love seat that faced toward the view of the ocean. They spoke of how so much had changed, since the Nathan James had docked in the harbor of the Island. All of the crew members were settled into the base and housing around the village. They looked at all of the smiling faces and knew they loved it here.

All were invited to the wedding which would be held in the village church, tomorrow. Later today, Tom was being taken out for his bachelor party and then would be staying with Mike and his family overnight and would not be seen by Rachel until the wedding ceremony. His dress whites were waiting for him at Mike's house. Mike was to be the best man, of course, and Rachel had asked Christine to be her matron of honor. Tom's Father, Jed had agreed at once to Rachel's request that he give her away, since she had no living family left. She truly felt that he was her father already. Kara and Alisha and a number of the other female officers were her bride's maids, though they would all be wearing their formal dress white uniforms. The two of them were coming early in the morning to help prepare her for the wedding. The children both had their wedding clothing as well. The town was throwing the most elaborate beautiful wedding they could come up with for their two heroes and for their brave crew. There was a fantastic stylist from the village who was coming in the morning to do her hair in an up do so that her veil could flow down from it in the back, cascading down her back flowing into the most exquisite white wedding gown. Her still tiny waist was not showing any sign yet of the baby bump to come. The gown was strapless, showing off Rachel's shoulders, her arms and her perfect figure. The gown flowed out at the waist into a full ball gown effect. The veil flowing down from her headpiece, she would be fantastically beautiful indeed. The dressmaker from the bridal shop in the village had truly outdone herself.

Tom said, "Just think, the next time we are in bed together, you will be my wife. I know we already agreed that we would not be intimate again until we are married, though I find it really difficult not to touch you in that way, Baby Tiger. It is a good thing I will be leaving shortly after breakfast. I have to go get our marriage license in town and a notice that we have had our blood test. The Admiral said that he will sign the notice that that was done with no problem at the hospital. I will pick up the rings for Mike to hold for us and take care of a few last minute situations at the base."

Tom had been going through extensive training on all aspects of his new command, as had the other members of the crew. There had been a very large ceremony held, in which Commander Thomas Chandler had been awarded medals and had been promoted directly to the rank of Admiral, since he would be commanding the largest and newest ship in the fleet. This magnificent new ship would be christened, The USS Valiant.

Rachel had been given the singular honor of christening the ship by breaking a champagne bottle against the hull of the USS Valiant, when it was ready to be taking its maiden voyage with Admiral Thomas Chandler at the helm, along with his ever faithful and courageous crew. She knew she would be so proud to perform this duty as the wife of its Commanding Officer.

XXXXX

The next day Rachel was at last ready to leave the house for the Church. Sammy, Ashley and Jed were all dressed and ready also. When Sammy came into the room and saw Rachel, his eyes got as big as saucers. He said, "Rachel, you look just like a princess. Daddy is marrying a princess and he doesn't even know it. He will be so surprised. Ashley it will be fun to watch his face when he sees her."

Sammy had never seen anything this beautiful in real life, only in fairytale books. Rachel laughed and said, "Well Sammy, I am not really a princess, but I hope your father will like my dress as well as you do. Sammy, you look very handsome in your new suit. Ashley you look so beautiful, sweetie. I am so proud that I will soon be part of your family"

Both children ran to her and gave her hugs. Ashley said, "Rachel, you have been a part of our family way before this, but now it will be official and you are making daddy and all of us very happy. If I could not have my real mom, I am so glad you are here for daddy and for us, Rachel. We all love you so very much."

She had tears in her eyes and Rachel gave her another hug and kissed her on the forehead. Rachel had tears in her eyes as well as she answered, "And I love all of you, with all of my heart, darling."

Every single member of the crew was at church as well the big brass from the base, along with their wives. Zack and his sons came separate from Kate, her "brother" Zack and the members of her crew who had taken part in the many missions along with the crew of the Nathan James. The members of the military were all wearing their dress whites and just about the whole audience was a mass of white uniforms. When everyone was in place inside the church, the organist began to play the wedding march. Everyone stood and Jed held his arm out for Rachel. He said, softly," Are you ready to become part of this Chandler Clan, Rachel?"

She whispered back, "You know I am, Jed."

She placed her hand on his arm and he proudly led her down the Aisle. Rachel looked at Tom waiting at the front of the church. He was magnificent in his Dress White Admirals uniform, with his cover under his arm, standing so straight and tall. She thought if she looked like a princess, he certainly looked like a prince, even to the ceremonial sabre at his side. His ocean blue eyes were locked on her and suddenly it was as if they were the only people in the room and everything was moving in slow motion. There was only the love they each felt for each other, passing from one to the other as their eyes locked and they felt that oneness within them. When Jed placed her hand into the hand of his son, he was only inches from him and the look of love and happiness in Tom's eyes took his breath away. Jed silently thanked God that these two had worked through all of their problems and now stood side by side ready to become man and wife. He knew with all of his heart that this was meant to be. Jed turned and took his place next to Ashley and Sam.

When the pastor asked, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

Jed answered, with both children standing by his side, "Ashley, Sammy and I do."

Tom looked at Rachel, whose eyes misted with tears at the sentiment that was stated by Tom's father and his children. Tom squeezed her hand.

It was a lovely ceremony. After the rings were exchanged and the vows were said and they were finally pronounced man and wife, the look of happiness on their faces lit up the room.

They kissed each other with all the passion and love that they felt for each other. After the pastor introduced them for the first time as Admiral and Mrs. Thomas Chandler, Tom and Rachel stepped outside the church and then passed under the Arch of swords which is one of the most stunning and beautiful parts of the traditional Navy officer's Wedding. The Arch which was created by 8 Naval Officers from the Nathan James, all in their dress white uniforms, standing at attention, opposite one another holding their swords in an arch formation. As Tom and Rachel passed under each set of swords they had to kiss before being allowed to pass beneath the next set of swords. Rachel saw the smiling faces of each and every officer as they paid tribute to their Captain and his bride, to welcome them into their new life together. Rachel knew she would always remember this beautiful part of her wedding.

Later, the reception was held at the home of the Admiral, which was not that far from the house of the Captain. There was a beautiful Wedding cake and Tom and Rachel cut the cake following another old Navy custom. Tom handed Rachel his sword. She held it out in front of her. He placed his right hand over the top of hers so that they were holding the sword together and then they cut the cake with his ceremonial sword.

They made the most incredibly handsome couple as they danced with each other. Again, every eye was on them, they were so obviously in love.

Tom also made time to dance with his beautiful daughter Ashley, when he had a chance to cut in, because her time for dancing was being taken up between Zach's two sons, Eric and Zack, Tom didn't know which one he cut in on in order to have at least one dance with his daughter. He still could not tell them apart. It is a good thing that Rachel never told Tom about Darien's prediction that Ashley would eventually marry Zack's son, Eric. If she had told him, he would have had both of these boys on his radar much sooner.

Tonight, however, it was Rachel who was on his radar and Rachel alone. Everyone was having a wonderful time. After they had a chance to speak with all of the guests, the couple took their leave from the party which continued long after they left. The wedding was the talk of the town for weeks.

Tom and Rachel were taken off by transport to another part of the Island which was set up like a resort for just such occasions. It had been created originally for what used to be visiting dignitaries from both NASA and the navy. Now it was a perfect place for Rachel and Tom to have a lovely honeymoon for the next 10 days. There were some wonderful places on this Island that they had never even seen and now they were able to take full advantage of this time just for themselves.

XXXXXXXX

Six and one half months later, Rachel and Tom were awakened by the sounds of their newborn little Nate on the baby monitor in the nursery. He was letting them know that it was time that they fed him and that, furthermore, he wanted his diaper changed. This 7 pound bundle of energy, had taken command of the actions of his parents, his grandfather and his two siblings. Rachel and Tom had brought him home from the hospital, only two days before, but already he was ruling the roost. Now his father, the Admiral, had hopped out of bed, letting Rachel know that he would bring baby Nate to her. Tom was standing by baby's crib, within a minute after he had started fussing. Rachel was still recovering from the long hours of her first birth, though there had been no complications. Tom picked up his tiny son from the crib and placed him gently on the changing table, talking softly to him, "Hey there, little guy. Just hang in there. I just have to get you changed and I will take to you to your mommy. I know you are hungry."

He was an old hand at this and quickly changed Nate's diaper before he lifted him up to take him to his mommy.

Baby Nate was still fussing because he had grasped one of Tom's fingers in his tiny hands and had put it in his mouth, but it was not what he was expecting. As Tom held him against his naked chest, Nate was thrashing his little head back and forth trying to find his meal and was very frustrated. His father's smooth muscular chest was not providing the soft pillow for his head and the nice warm milk to fill his little tummy. He was still fussing as his father placed his son into his mother's arms. Rachel quickly guided his little face to her nipple, which he latched onto immediately with little grunting sounds of contentment. Rachel felt also so much a part of this feeling of bonding with this tiny new baby, who already had a personality like his father, demanding that he get the attention he wanted, when he wanted it. It was easy to see this wee little one was going to be an engaging little scamp.

Tom got back in bed with Rachel, placed his arm around her shoulders and watched his baby son, filling his little tummy, his tiny nose pressed into Rachel's breast, little contented sucking sounds coming from his tiny face. To look down and think that this little guy was made by them, out of their love. It was truly a miracle to both of them.

There was a knock on their bedroom door and Ashley and Sammy came in very quietly. Ashley said, "We heard the baby when he woke up, we just wanted to watch him. Would that be alright Rachel?"

Rachel reached out and motioned for them to come in. Tom let them come onto the bed so they could watch little Nate being fed. "Sammy said, "That is how he gets his meal? Are you sure that is all he wants. I thought baby's had bottles."

Rachel explained about breast feeding a baby and how they would only sometimes need bottles. Later, he could learn how to feed the baby with a bottle, but not yet.

She felt so wonderful with all of her family here beside her. Sammy was right next to her watching his baby brother feeding. "He really is little, isn't he Rachel? I guess it will be a while before he can play ball."

Rachel said, "Yes, Sammy, it will, but just think of all the things you can teach him. You will be so much older and wiser and you can protect him, too. Big brothers are so important for little brothers like Nate."

Sammy placed his smallest finger against the baby's hand and Nate grasped it firmly in his had, wrapping his tiny hand around Sammy's finger. Sammy said, "Look, daddy, Nate is squeezing my finger. He really knows I'm here."

Tom said, "Yes, Sammy, he knows you are his big brother and will always be there to help and protect him. He is letting you know he needs you. That is why he is holding on to you so tight."

Sammy was grinning from ear to ear. He knew he would always watch out for his little brother Nate.

Sammy puffed out his small chest and said proudly. "I will take care of him and make sure he is always safe, Rachel"

Tom said, "We know you will, Sammy. I am very proud of you, buddy."

XXXXX

Life on the Island was so much more settled than life on the ocean on the Nathan James, but the officers and crew of the that gallant ship would never forget what it had been like during that great adventure.

Now their lives were still an ongoing adventure with all of the new discoveries they made each time they took Admiral Chandler's new ship, the USS Valiant, out on maneuvers. Dr. Rachel Chandler's lab was producing vast amounts of vaccine and The Valiant was taking it to areas all over the world. They were helping to establish many safe zones throughout the United States and the world. The peoples of the world were getting a semblance of the possibility of survival in this new world. There was much work to do, but the people on the Island were up for it.

New family members were being found and new scientist and teachers were being found. It was exciting to see what the return of each mission would bring.

Rachel was home almost every night and often Tom was also home at night. The missions sometimes happened within a 2-3 day time window, though sometimes they could be gone a few weeks or a month. There were some very dangerous situations that came up, but fortunately with their stealth mode and there advance scanning methods, they were usually able to get out without much damage and little loss of life. So far there was no one who had their technical ability.

Tom could spend a great amount of time with his family and he and Rachel had their special times for each other. They loved riding horseback on the beach and over the trails of the Island. They knew of some hidden spots which had become their secret get-away places, which they treasured. They had plenty of babysitters available for little Nate who was getting quite a name for himself on the Island, even now. Everyone loved the Admiral's children. Tom had to make sure that his children did not get spoiled. They still knew that daddy was the boss and they were taught to respect adults and authority, but little Nate, was so much like his dad, stubborn and daring at times, but also gutsy, determined and persistent like his mom. All of their children were extremely smart. They were certainly a handful for both Rachel and Tom, but it was a close nit family and they all loved each other with a strong loyalty and honor.

Only time would tell what new adventures would come of the explorations of The Valiant and of the gallant men and women who manned this great ship, the first of many to follow after. This was the beginning of the Chandler Dynasty in this new word of brave beginnings.

THE END

Hope you all enjoyed the AU trip. I loved writing it for you. Drop me a line if you feel inclined. All of us writers really like to know what you think about what we write. Enjoy the new Season 2 shows of THE LAST SHIP. I know I will. There will be new stories to follow based on the way the show goes and where it leads us. Take care and thank you to all of my loyal readers from the many countries that follow us. You can find me on starfoxtwin on Twitter which is devoted primarily to The Last Ship news and also to our fan fiction stories.


	34. Chapter 34 Epilogue

Chapter 34 Epilogue

Some of you have asked me to write a bit more about what happens after the last chapter I wrote in this story, so I decided to fill you in a little on some of the rest of the story.

xxxx

About a year and a half later, many things had changed on the Island. It had become a thriving community of very busy,very happy people. The cure was being made in the vast labs run by the Navy and NASA. Rachel was the head of the whole project, and was very highly respected.

Rachel was on a short leave of absence due to the arrival of the newest addition to the Chandler clan, the beautiful and very spirited little Jessica Marie Chandler, the pride of her father and all of her siblings. This wee blonde bundle of joy, with her father's blue eyes, all of 3 months old, looked like a little angel and was the talk of the village. Even her scamp of a brother, Nate, would stop running around the house long enough to come up to her crib and peer between the bars to look at her.

When she was being fed by Nate's mommy, his daddy would pick him up and bring him over to where Rachel was feeding his baby sister. His daddy told him to touch the baby's hand with his finger. Nate touched her very hesitantly and she grasped his little finger and squeezed it tight. He let out a little giggle of delight. He said, "baby.""

From that point on, whenever Nate was close enough to his little sister, he would touch her hand and she would always grasp his finger. They built an early bond because of this. He loved his little sister so much. All of the family had to make sure they kept a close watch on her crib. Nate first brought his favorite bath toy, his yellow rubber duckie and placed it in her crib. He would talk to her in his baby talk as though she understood everything he was trying to tell her.

They tried to tell him not to put his toys in her crib, but he did not understand. The rubber duckie made many trips to her crib and then there was his favorite stuffed bear, his stuffed mouse and his stuffed dog. He would only bring her one of his treasures at a time, because he needed to have some of them for himself in his bed. Tom, always put them back in his room, after he was asleep, as he bent to kiss his little Nate on his forhead. When Tom was away on missions, all of the family would watch for which of his toys, Nate had decided to leave with his little sister that night and make sure it was placed back in his room, after he was asleep. After a while, baby Jessica started recognizing her brother and would make sounds in response to his baby talk and they would seem to converse with each other. It was such a sweet thing to watch.

XXXXX

During this year and a half, Zack and Kate were married, after they were able to have a long talk with his boys, all of them, including Zack. Everything that could be explained about what had happened so many years ago, was explained, along with some of the extenuating circumstances as to why it was handled the way it was. The older boys were allowed to be told the complete truth, while a simpler explanation was given to Chris, who was only 9 years old. After Zack was given all of the facts, he was alright with it, especially since he had learned during his friendship with Eric, that he respected and learned to love Eric's father Zack, who always included him in everything his family was doing. When he found out that Zack was his real father and that he had actually been named after him, it was not hard for him to accept. It took a little more time to accept Kate as his mother, when he'd always thought she was his sister. Zack was use to it being assumed that he was Zack's son because of the resemblance to his father as well as his brother Eric.

Eric and Zack both liked Ashley and each spent as much time with her as they could, considering that she was sometimes in some of Zack's classes and other times, in some of Eric's classes. She really liked both of them and they often did things together. When there was a dance, however, it was always a race to see who could ask her first. The boys were always good sports about whoever lost, but there was certainly competition between them when it came to Ashley.

She loved it. They were still too young to be getting serious. Admiral Chandler, nevertheless, made it very much known to both boys, using his most military stance, that they were in charge of making sure his daughter was treated like a lady and that there would be no funny business when it came to his daughter or they would have to answer to him, personally. Neither of those boys would have dared to do anything but protect her with their lives after the meeting they had with her father.

Mike was now a full Captain with his own command, a ship of the same class as the Valiant. but the Valiant was the Flagship. His wife and girls were very happy on the Island and they all loved the school and all the exciting technologies they were learning about.

Many of the crew of the original Nathan James who were still with the Valient or on Mike's ship now had new wives or husbands and lived in housing on the Island. The maternity ward in the hospital was in great demand over these years. There was a world to repopulate and a lot of the rules were changed so that those in the military who were working together could still be married, but they did make sure that one was not in a position to be in command of the other, for the most part.

Tom Mason and Bertrice were eventually married and the Admiral acted in place of her father in the ceremony. Danny and Kara had a second child. Fortunately, there were excellent people in the village to take care of the children when any of their parents were on missions. Even the Admiral's family had a woman who took care of this. He did not want his father to have to be in charge of an infant and a toddler, as well as the older children who were still in school. There was full time help when they needed it. There were people who took care of the vast grounds and the barn with the horses, as and Tom and Rachel often would ride horseback over the many tails on their own property and all the children rode as well.

The mission was still getting the vaccine out over the entire world and people looked forward to the arrival of these advanced ships. Civilization was returning to many areas and also in safe areas in the US. There were still some outlaw or rogue governments in certain dangerous areas. It was still a very dangerous world and they were all so glad to be able to come home to the Island, which was still a secret and was very closely guarded.

Tom loved all of his family and his love for Rachel had only grown as their family had grown. All was well and they were fulfilling a purpose which was being accomplished.

xxxxx

Hope you enjoyed this epilogue. please give me a review if you can. Also wanted to let you know that I have started a new story for this new season. It is called STAND FAST. The first chapter is already up, so look for it. I will be writing a 2nd chapter soon. Hope you like it as well as Their Little Secret.


	35. Chapter 35 Epilogue 2 The Great Escape

Chapter 35 Epilogue 2: The Great Escape (Toddler Style)

Note: I felt that I needed to write a second epilogue on the story because I wanted to let people know a little about what else was happening in the life of the Captain and Rachel. Because there has been so little Tom/Rachel in season 2, so far, I needed it for therapy. Thanks to Scousedancer for her idea for a title for this chapter and for her input as to the content.

xxx

Everything was ready for the wedding reception that Tom and Rachel were holding for her dear Bertrice and her husband to be, Lt. Tom Mason. She was like a daughter to Rachel and Bertrice had stayed the night before the wedding with them at their beautiful house above the ocean on the Island.

Rachel had her hands full that morning, making sure all the people were in place to do Bertrice's hair and makeup and Rachel herself helped Bertrice into her lovely white full length wedding gown and into the equally stunning head piece and veil. Bertrice looked beautiful and so happy.

Ashley and Sammy were in charge of getting Nate and Jessica ready for the wedding. All the children were dressed in their finest clothing for the wedding. Three and a half year old Jessica looked adorable in her full party dress with her little white ruffled socks and black patent Mary Jane shoes. Nate was also precious in his formal suit which had been specially made for his 5 year old stature. He had on a light yellow shirt with a light blue vest which set off his blue eyes, so much like his father's. Both of the two younger children had white blond hair and their father's blue eyes.

Ashley looked so beautiful in her full length flowing gown in light yellow organza with delicate spaghetti straps on her bare shoulders. She had lovely yellow flowers with a little baby's breath tucked into her long brown hair, which had been partially swept up on both sides. Rachel looked at her and wondered what her father would think about what a young lady they had on their hands now. There were going to be some very interested young gentlemen at the reception who would certainly be in competition with each other to get a dance with her.

Sammy also looked very handsome. Rachel was used to seeing both of them in their school uniforms and to see them looking so ready for a party was all part of why this day was so special to her. Tom was dressed in his dress white admirals uniform and as Rachel looked at him; her breath was taken away by how handsome he was.

He looked at her in her lovely light turquoise flowing gown, which reminded him of the moment when he had first seen her in the shower on the Nathan James, with her hair piled on top of her head and how he had thought she looked like a Greek goddess, she was so beautiful. She looked like that now in this dress, with her hair pulled up, showing off her exquisite neck. God, he still could not keep his eyes off of her, he thought. His ocean blue eyes were full of so much love for her and so much admiration for all of his children as he looked at each and every one of them. He thanked God to be the head of such an incredible family and to have Rachel at his side.

He brought himself back to the present and told Rachel that he would go on ahead with the children and that she could follow with the bride. They would meet them at the church.

Tom Mason and Bertrice had waited until she was 22 to be married. She had been so young when they had first met on the Nathan James, only being 17 at the time. Today they were being married in the village church with the full Navy Officers wedding ceremony, which Rachel never tired of seeing. She was so happy for both of them, as was Tom and the rest of the members of the Nathan James and the many new friends Tom Mason served with on the Valliant. Everyone knew everyone on the Island and it was all one big family.

As it turned out, the wedding was beautiful and afterward, everyone was to meet at Tom and Rachel's house for the reception. It was an afternoon reception and there were wonderful caterers and even a dance band. Everything was held outside because the weather at this time of year was indescribably beautiful. The views were so wonderful and the wedding pictures were so very romantic.

There were huge patios and as the house opened onto the patio's, people were free to sit indoors in the lounge, or outside to enjoy each others company and the fine food.

The younger children had their own area in the huge backyard which was surrounded by a rather high picket fence. They had swings, monkeybars, places to play games and also their own tables where food was to be served for them, kid's food. There were people from the village serving food and entertaining the children also. These children were made up of 3, 4 and 5 year olds. Nate and Jessica were often playing with certain of these children and they started playing their usual games of soldiers and the girls were playing with some of the dolls that Jessica had brought from her room. Of course the children were interested in eating all the goodies, but they loved to play adventure games. Nate was always one of the leaders who could think of some wonderful things to play.

Nate had been playing in the backyard earlier in the week, when he noticed something very interesting. He discovered that one of the white fence slats was loose at the bottom. He took a closer look and saw that he could pull the slat away from the piece it was nailed to at the bottom. The nail was very long. The nail did not come out all of the way but if he pulled the slat out to the end of where the nail reached, the slat could be moved to the side and there was a space big enough for a child his size to climb through. He had crawled through it and found himself on the outside of the fence. He thought how much fun it would be to take a walk and see if he could go to where his father had taken him and the rest of the family last week for a picnic. He was sure he could find it. There was a wonderful waterfall and grass and they went swimming. It had been so much fun. He had quickly crawled back inside his back yard. He then had found that if he put the slat back in place and pushed the nail head back into the wooden piece at the bottom, you could not even tell that it could be moved. It was his secret. He loved having a secret and to know he knew how to get outside the fence if he wanted to do it.

Nate loved to figure things out and he often took things apart just so he could put them back together again. He could always remember exactly how they went back together again. He thought everyone could do that. His mother had taught him and Jessica how to read and he loved to read about the outside world. His father and mother were teaching all of the children some basic phrases in Russian, French, Spanish, and Italian.. It was lots of fun to see what they could learn next.

He got his friends together for play. There was Logan, whose mother and father was Dr. Zack and Aunt Kate. He was a little younger that Nate was, but Logan was one of his best friends. There was Frankie, who was 5, whose mother and father were on his father's ship, Kara and Danny.

There was Tommy, who was Uncle Mike and Aunt Christine's son, also 5. Then there was Tammy, also 5 who was Lt. Burk and Lt. Ravit's Daughter. They were joined by some of the other 4 and 5 year old boys and girls. Nate had split the 4 and 5 year olds into two groups and they were playing soldiers. All of the children, being the sons and daughters of military officers, loved to play war and it did not matter that they were wearing their best clothing. If their parents had been there, this play would not have been allowed, but the people who had been entertaining them had gone inside for some refreshments. Nate had designated Frankie to be the leader of the other team, his father being a Navy SEAL.

The 3 year olds stood back and watched, though Jessica, Nate's sister was not about to be left out and she demanded to be included. Nate finally designated the 3 year olds as the ones they would be rescuing. He and Frankie met and decided how they would manage to rescue the 3 year olds and then took their separate teams and had them take hold of a 3 year old and herded them into one area of the yard by the monkey bars. This was the holding area. When this was accomplished, all of the children raised their imaginary guns in the air and cheered. Just then, their cake and ice cream was brought out and everyone went to the tables to enjoy the cool refreshing end to their game.

As some of the children were still eating and others were out in the yard again playing, Nate had a really fun idea. He got Frankie, Logan, Tommie, Mike and Tammy and told them about a way to get out of the yard, if the grownups were not looking. He said he knew of a really great place he could show them with a waterfall and lots of grass to play in. They could even get their feet wet. It would be great fun, if they wanted to follow him. Some of the other 5 year olds and 4 year olds were drifting over to play more like they had before. They waited until the people who were clearing the table had gone inside and were cleaning up. It looked like the children were entertaining themselves. They were already right at the slat in the fence so it only took seconds to get the slat moved aside and Nate began helping the children through the fence. He only let the 5 yr olds and 4 year olds go. He was just ready to go through himself, when Jessica indignantly walked up to him. "Jessica goes with Nate."

He looked at her doubtfully. He said, "Jessica, you can't go with me. You are too little. You might get hurt."

Jessica stubbornly stomped her feet and said. "No! Jessica wants to go with Nate. Nate always takes care of Jessica. No, No, No.", Jessica goes with Nate, now?" she said with a decided frown on her face and tears beginning to form in her big blue eyes.

Her brother could not let her start crying. The children already on the outside of the fence were calling for him hurry. Nate finally gave in and pushed Jessica through the opening and then followed her. All the other 3 year olds, who had noticed the others going outside the fence were coming up to the slat to follow, but Nate had reached around the slat and had pushed the nail back into the wood which put the slat back in place. The 3 year olds could see no more opening. They turned around and started to go back into the yard to play.

The workers continued to clear the area of food and other items, not noticing right away that the older children were missing.

Nate, with his little sister, Jessica in tow, took the lead. He felt very important because he knew exactly where to go. His father had taken the lead for the family and he had told everyone to follow him in a line. That is exactly what Nate told all of the children. He led them through the tall grass and into the trees. It was a beautiful day and the sun shined right through the canopy of trees. Nate looked back at Frankie and told him to go to the rear of the line of children and make sure that they did not lose anyone. That is what he had heard his father tell his mother and she had been the last one in their family in the line when they had gone for the picnic a few days ago. Some of the girls were saying that it was too far and maybe they should go back. Nate said in a very strong voice for his age. "If you turn around now, you will not know how to get back. You stay with me. I know how to get to the waterfall and I know how to get back. It will be fun. You will see."

He kept on, never a doubt in his mind that he was lost. He remembered every twist and turn, just as his father had shown him. The children continued, though some of the branches of bushes they passed snagged on their fine clothing.

Finally, Nate could see that they were getting close. He told the other children to stop and listen. They could all hear the water from the waterfall. They were all laughing and talking at once. Nate led them down the worn path and then they came to the grotto and onto the green grass, near the pool of water and the wonderful waterfall. All of the children were laughing and running all over the area. Some were already taking off their shoes and socks. They wanted to put their feet into the water. Nate started to do the same and he helped Jessica take her pretty shoes and socks off. It had been a very long walk for such young children. Some had been afraid they would get lost, but not now. They were all having a great adventure. Frankie was excited as was Logan and all of Nate's playmates. They asked Nate why he had not told them about his secret. He said he had only just found the way out. Some of the boys took off their jackets and their shirts to feel the wonderful mist on their skin. They talked about going swimming or at least getting wet. None of them really thought about how they were ruining their clothes. They were just being children and they were not aware of the time at all.

XXXXXXX

Meanwhile, back at the reception, the cake had been served, after the cutting of the cake with the saber and all had enjoyed dancing on the patio. The bride and groom had taken their leave and the rest of the party was going well. All of a sudden, one of the caterers from the children's area ran right up to Admiral Chandler and told him they had an emergency in the backyard where the children were. He grabbed Rachel and yelled at Zack to come with them. They ran to the backyard. Tom took in the scene. He did not see any children lying on the ground, but he did not see his daughter or son or any of the older children. He yelled, "God damn it! Where are all the children?"

The frantic nanny said, almost in hysterics, " I went in to get some more drinks for them after we cleared the food from the tables and when we brought the clown out, we found all of the older children were gone,. … They just disappeared. Oh my god, where are they? Who could have taken them? They must have been kidnapped." She broke down in sobs.

People started coming to the backyard as word spread that the children had been kidnapped. Some of them were getting hysterical. Tom shouted with his most commanding battle voice. "Hold it down people. I am trying to get to the bottom of this. We will take action immediately, but everyone must stay calm until I get the full story. Is that understood?"

No one dared say another word. The Admiral looked at the 3 year olds and wondered why Jessica was not among them. He spotted one he knew. He did not want to frighten them. He got down on one knee and told the children to come to him. Using a gentle voice, he said. "Hi guys, I am looking for the older children. Do you know where they went?"

Several of the older 3 year olds started running over to another area of the yard, near the fence. Then all of them started pointing at the fence and they were saying, "Nate….Nate…...Nate…..go. All go….Nate."

Tom said, "Did all of the children go with Nate? Is that what you are trying to tell me?… but ...how? "

The children were all pointing through the fence, but the space was not big enough to get through. He noticed how the ground, right there by the fence, where the children were pointing was messed up, like shoes had been dragged across it. He was down on his knees examining the area with his hand when he leaned on the slat of the fence and it pulled the nail out causing the slat to slide to the side. He blinked. That is how they got out. They were not kidnapped. It must have been Nate. He had found this loose slat and had led the children out of the yard. With all the 3 year olds calling out his name, there was no doubt who was leading the operation. He replaced the slat and walked over to the waiting crowd of people. Rachel ran to him, tears of worry in her eyes. "Where are my babies, Tom? Where are they?"

He said, "We will find them, Rachel….. Listen to me, everyone…. They have not been kidnapped. It looks like they escaped because of a loose slat in the fence, but it was not that long ago. We will begin a search for them right away. We will form teams. Zack, do you have your scanner with you?"

Zack said, "No, Tom, I will run home and start scanning Nate, Jessica and my son, Logan. My older sons, Eric and Zack will come with you to find the children. I will call you as soon as I get a reading on them. The scanner should get us a close location and we will know if they are frightened or lost or if any of them are hurt."

The men formed groups and went off covering different directions, spreading out, calling the names of their own children and any that they knew were in this group. The Captain stood in the backyard by the fence, trying to get into the mind of his 5 year old son, Nate. His father, Jed, came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Take it easy Tom. Nate is certainly your son, a natural born leader. There must be at least 10 children in this group, some of them even older than he is and they followed him."

Tom said, "I know dad. He found the loose slat and figured a way out of the yard. He got all the older children out but would not take the younger ones. He even reached back through the fence and made sure the nail was pushed back in so they could not get out. He knew what he was doing. I don't know why he took Jessica, though. He must have had a plan. Now what was it?"

Jed said, "Jessica is your daughter and also Rachel's. She probably did not give him a choice about taking her. She digs in her heels when she wants something. If he didn't take her, she might have blown the whole mission in his mind."

Suddenly his communicator sounded and Zack was giving him the reading on what the scanner could tell them about the 3 children. "None of the three of them is hurt. In fact, they all seem to be having a great time. They are very jovial. They may be running around. Their heart rates are up, but their endorphins are high. They are feeling very happy. Their body temperatures are a little cool for running or maybe they are near a cool air. They are not hot like on the beach in direct sunlight. They are in a shaded area, no sunburned skin. Their feet are much cooler than the rest of their bodies and that goes for all of the three. Why would that be?

I have a location for them. They are in one location. They are not moving away from your house. They are in those woods on your property, someplace cool, but not cold. Oh something is changing. Logan's lower extremities are now cooler like their feet were. God, he must be in water to have his body temperature change so fast. Tom, you must get to them soon. If they are getting into water, they could be getting into real danger."

Suddenly Tom blinked. "I know where they are, Zack. They have to be at the Grotto, where the waterfall is. I took the family there for a picnic a few days ago. Nate has a photographic memory like I do. I bet he knew exactly how to get there. If you can get a hold of any of the other search parties, tell them the basic direction. I am already on my way there, but I will need some of the others to help me bring them all back. Rachel had changed into jeans and was by his side. "I am coming with you, Tom."

He was still in his dress white uniform, almost running, barking orders from his communicator to his regular officers who might still have their communicators on them. He gave them the closest coordinates he could muster, without instrumentation.

XXXX

Down in the grotto, the children were having such a good time. Some of them were now wading into the shallow water. Logan, who knew how to swim, had taken off all of his clothing except for his briefs. He was into the water up to his waist.

Nate had taken his clothes off, except for his unbuttoned shirt and his briefs. He was reaching up to take his shirt off, when he caught sight of Jessica, who was happily trying to get her party dress off and was asking him to help her. That brought him up short. Nate somehow knew he should not let Jessica go into the pool. He remembered his dad had let her go in, but only with a rubber tube around her and they did not have that here. He said, "No Jessica, don't take your dress off. You cannot go into the pool."

She looked at him with a frown on her face. She stamped her foot and said stubbornly, "Nate goes into the pool, Jessica can go in."

He said, "Jessica, I am only going to put my feet into the water. You can do that, okay?"

She said, "Okay, Nate, I put my feet in the water."

She sat down again on a rock and dangled her feet in. Nate was disappointed. He really wanted to take off his shirt and go swimming with Logan, but he knew he would have to worry about Jessica, so he did not actually take off his shirt.

Some of the children had taken off all of their clothes, except for their briefs or panties, but most were only wading. Only Logan had gone in up to his waist and Nate watched him so wanting to join him. Logan started to get out of the pool and stepped up on the rocks. He suddenly slipped and lost his footing. He fell hard onto the rocks striking his head. Nate jumped up and ran over to help his friend up, but Logan had not moved. His head and shoulders were almost out of the water, where he had hit his head as he fell, but his chest and the rest of his body was still in the shallow water. Nate yelled at the other boys to help him and they took hold of Logan's arms and dragged him onto the bank and out of the water. The children rolled Logan over and onto his back. Nate was trying to wake him up. He said trying to shake his friend awake. "Logan...Wake up! Logan! I can't wake him up! He hurt his head...See the blood? I have to go back and get my daddy."

XXXXX

Zack suddenly yelled into Tom's Communicator. "Tom, something has happened. Logan vitals are erratic and he seems to have sustained a blow to his head. Tom, He is unconscious. Oh My God, Hurry Tom, something bad has happened. Nate and Jessica are terrified and their heart rates are very fast. Nate is exerting a lot of physical effort, straining to lift something. Oh no….my God. He must be trying to lift Logan. Oh please God, don't let him be in the water…...Keep calm (he said talking to himself)... He is breathing. He is not choking…..the scanner is reading concussion on the front of the skull…. treating…..treating…..no brain breach,... no water in his lungs…..Please God…..His vitals are stabilizing… good…...good, treating…...treating…..Tom, please, how close are you now?"

Tom said, "Easy Zack, we are very close. I have Rachel with me and we have called in for an emergency MediVac Air Rescue Helicopter. They are already in the air. You can call them on your spare communicator. Alpha Bravo 287. They will keep you posted."

XXXX

Nate was terrified. He told Frankie to stay with Logan and to watch out for Jessica. He told him he was going back to the house to get his daddy. All the children were gathered around looking at Logan and not knowing what to do. Nate told them to stay right there with Frankie until he got back with his daddy. He took his shirt off and put it under Logan's head like a pillow. Then he took off running as fast as his five year old legs would carry him. He was very frightened, more frightened than he had ever been in his life, but he did not slow down. He had not taken the time to put on his shoes.

He took off up the winding pathway to get to the top of the hill. He could feel his feet were taking a beating bleeding from sticks and stones he was stepping on as he ran. He knew he could not stop, no matter what. He climbed up hill and it was not easy. Something was very wrong and only his daddy could help. He had just reached the top of the hill when he ran smack into the object of his search. His father's body was like a wall of white. Tom looked down at the small body of his practically naked son. His little feet had blood on them from the rocks and sticks he had stepped on. He could see Nate was terrified, tears running down his face. He reached down and scooped his errant son up into his arms, holding him tight against his hard muscular chest. Nate sobbed, "Daddy, you're here. I had to find you."

Tom said softly," Easy there, Buddy, I'm here now and so is mommy. Are the children down at the grotto? Where is Jessica?"

Nate, holding tight to his daddy, cried, "Daddy, I was coming to find you. Logan fell down by the water. I can't get him to wake up. Daddy, hurry! Logan is hurt. Daddy, there is blood."

Tom, Rachel and the other fathers, brothers and friends of the lost children were racing down the hill, along the path to the grotto. Rachel and Tom reached Logan, who was still unconscious. The parents were all grabbing and hugging their own children. Tom put Nate down as Jessica ran toward her father. He picked her up and held her close, while Rachel examined Logan's head wound. She said "It looks like he hit his head on a rock, but it does not look like his skull is fractured. He may have a concussion."

Tom said into his communicator. "Zack, Rachel and I are with Logan and it looks like he hit his head on a rock after falling, He is still unconscious. When do you think the Air Rescue will be up the hill?"

Zack said, "They have already landed and have a team on their way to you."

Tom said, "Yes, I can hear them coming. We will have Logan on the helicopter in short order and on the way to the hospital. You leave now, Zack. I will be in contact as soon as I get back to the house."

Zack said. "Tom, if my sons, Zack and Eric are with you, please put them on the helicopter with Logan. Tell them I will meet them at the hospital. I am treating Logan with my scanner. His vitals are strong, but his body temperature is low. He is cold, Tom."

Tom said. "The MedivAc team is loading him onto a stretcher as we speak. They are putting blankets over him. Zack and Eric are right there beside him and they will be with him. As soon as I get back to the house, I will have a car sent for Kate and Chris and they will meet you at the hospital. I will be over myself as soon as we get things squared away with all the parents at the house. Keep me posted Zack."

Tom stood up looking down at his son, Nate, who was standing there, looking up at the towering figure of his daddy in his dress whites. Nate realized that his daddy did not look happy. His father reached down and lifted Nate into his arms again. He said in gruff voice, "Nate, you and I are going to have talk when we get home, young man. Now let's get you and your sister home. "Where are your clothes?"

Tom picked up his son's clothes and shoes and checked the area to make sure all of the children were with an adult and that everyone's clothes and shoes were picked up. Rachel had put Jessica's shoes and socks back on, but she ended up carrying her most of the way back as well. Jessica was talking a mile a minute about what had happened to Logan.

She had no idea they had done anything wrong. Rachel said, "Jessica, You and Nate should never have left the backyard. Your brother is in big trouble for letting all the children out of the yard. You are never to go anyplace without me or your daddy, do you understand me?"

Jessica looked very upset and started to cry. "Mommy, Nate took care of me. He always takes care of me, Mommy."

She said, "Nate is a good big brother, Jessica, but he should not have gone out of the yard by himself,"

Jessica said, "Nate didn't go by himself, mommy. He took me and all of the other children. We all had fun, mommy. Is daddy mad at Nate? I don't want daddy to be mad at Nate."

"Nate has been very naughty, Jessica and your daddy is going to have a talk with him when we get home." Rachel explained to her daughter.

It was a long walk home for Tom, wondering how he was going to handle what he had to do about this. Nate was holding Tom around his neck. He loved his daddy very much and never would do anything to make him angry, if he could help it, but he had known he should not have done what he did. He said, "Daddy, I was going to bring all the children back to the backyard."

His father said, "Nate, taking them out of the yard was a very dangerous thing to do. Logan got hurt and you could have gotten lost and not been able to find your way back."

Nate said, "Daddy, you took us there for a picnic. I remembered how to go there and how to get back."

Tom sighed. He, of all people, knew that someone like himself or Nate, who had a photographic memory, would know exactly how to go and get back, but Nate was too young. He was going to have to make him see that no matter what he knew how to do, he was not equipped with the maturity to know what to do in an emergency, like what happened today. Thank God for Zack and the scanner. If they did not have the scanner, it might have taken hours to find them and that might have been too late for Logan. Most of the children, from what he had seen had their clothes off, except for Jessica and they may have all been planning to go into the water swimming. This could have a real tragedy and he had to pray that Logan would be alright. Nate was only 5 years old, but he had to make sure he would never do something like this ever again.

When they arrived back at the house, most of the other parents had left with their children. Ashley and Sammy came to help with Jessica, taking her from Rachel. Ashley said, looking at her Father, "Oh Dad, you have blood and dirt all over the front of your dress whites. Is that from Nate? Is he alright? Oh please, dear God."

Nate looked up from his father's shoulder, where his head was resting. "I am okay, Ash."

"Well you don't look Okay. Your feet are all bruised and bloody. Dad, why are his feet bruised and bloody?", she replied.

Her father told her he would let her know what happened in a little while, but now, his mother needed to get him cleaned up and take care of his feet. Tom put Nate down and Rachel took him into the bathroom and bathed his feet and put salve and a band-aid or two on his feet. She had Ashley get her a pair of clean briefs and socks for Nate's feet.

While Rachel was taking care of Nate, Tom sat down with Jed. He was not happy about what he had to do, but it could not be helped. Jed placed a hand on his arm. "Tom, this kind of thing is not easy. I had to do it, on occasion with you and I am sure you remember all of those times."

Tom looked at him. "Yes, Pop, I remember every one of them."

Jed said "Tom, you and your son are natural born leaders and you had to learn that if you were going to lead you should not be taking chances with someone getting hurt who would not even be there if you had not led them into it. I made you really think about what you did. I wanted you to learn to think before you made decisions. You have become very good at that Tom, Nate is just beginning to learn and there is only one way to teach this lesson.

Remember, when you were in second grade and you took the whole class out on strike after you heard about the subway workers strike. They called me to come and get you. You were not allowed in school for 2 days. If it wasn't bad enough to take your class out on strike, you were actually causing children in other classes to do the same thing. You were older than Nate, but you did things when you were his age as well. I did not have to do it often, but sometimes it cannot be avoided."

Their talk was interrupted when little Jessica ran over to her daddy and climbed up into his lap. She put her little hands around his neck and said, "Daddy, Nate didn't mean it. He is very sorry Daddy. I don't want you to be mad at Nate. Are you going to spank him, Daddy?"

Tom was stroking her back. He said, "Jessica, sometimes people make mistakes and they have to be punished. Even on my ship, people in my crew make mistakes and even grownups have to be punished sometimes."

She looked at her daddy very seriously and said," Daddy, do you spank them when they are naughty?"

Tom almost choked and hearing a similar reaction from Jed, he said, "No baby, they are adults. They have to walk tours or I have them do some other type of work. Jessica, I am going to have a talk with your brother and he will be alright. This is between Nate and me and I don't want you to be worrying about it."

After his mom had finished cleaning Nate up and she had put him in clean briefs and socks for his poor little bruised feet, Rachel brought Nate out of the bathroom. He stood with his head bent in shame, not being able to look at his daddy directly.

Tom stood and set Jessica on her feet and her grandfather picked her up.

Rachel came up to Tom, looking at his rumples and bloodstained uniform. She said,"Now, do I need to get you cleaned up too, my love? You are a mess and your dress whites may be ruined."

She put her hand on his jaw line, knowing how hard this thing with Nate was on him. He really loved his children and when they had to be disciplined, it was never an easy thing on him. Nate was such a good boy, but this lesson he needed to learn. Ashley and Sam joined the rest of the family.

Tom turned to Nate. Nate looked up at his daddy and his father took him by the hand and said to his other siblings, "And now, your brother and I are going to have that talk."

Rachel, Jed and the children all watched as their 5 year old brother, Nate and his father walked up the stairs side by side. Nate looked so little, his 5 year old body and his little legs and shoulders still showing a few scratches due to his wild flight to find his father that day. His mother wanted to cry at the site and there were tears in Ashley's eyes. When they reached the top of the stairs, they walked into Tom's study and Tom closed the door.

Tom sat down in his leather desk chair and he motioned for Nate to stand facing him. Tom said, "Now Nate, I think you know by now that what you did today was wrong."

Nate nodded and said, "Yes, daddy, but I thought it would be fun. I didn't know what to do when Logan got hurt. All of us were having so much fun. I was just going to bring them all back to the yard. I didn't know Logan would fall down. Daddy, I didn't know what to do…. I had to find you."

Tom said, "Nate, when did you find the loose slat in the fence?"

Nate said, "I found it this week. I saw how it worked, how I could make room to get out of the yard and I could put the nail back in to close it again. It was my secret, daddy."

Tom said, "Your first mistake, Nate, was not telling me or your mother about the loose slat. Can you tell me why you should have told us about it? I want you to think about it and then answer my question."

Nate did think about it, which he had not done before. He said, "Daddy, maybe Jessica or some of the smaller children who play in our yard, might have found it and if they got out of the yard, they would get lost. They could get hurt."

Tom said, "That is right, Nate. If you find something is broken, like that, it is your duty as big brother and my son, that you tell your mother, me or your grandfather, even Ashley or Sam. If you had done that, then none of what happened today would have happened, would it?"

Nate dropped his head, He said, "No Daddy."

Tom said, "Nate, I know that you wanted to take the older children to the grotto because I took you there and our family had fun there, but do you remember what both you and Jessica were wearing when you were in the water?"

Nate said, "We had rubber tubes around us. I did not let Jessica go in because we did not have that today, daddy. I would not have let her go into the water today."

His father said, "I am happy you did not let her go swimming, but she was wading in the water and could have fallen on the rocks, the same way Logan did. Any of the children could have been hurt. Do you know why Nate?"

Nate thought about it and answered, "Because you and mommy were not there. None of the parents were there."

Tom said, "Nate that is right. Adults would have needed to be there. Had you asked me about taking the children, I could have done that, with some of their parents, but you did not ask me, did you Nate?"

Nate looked down guiltily, "No, daddy. I thought we could do it. I thought I could get them all back safe, but….."

Tom said, "Nate, "You thought you knew how to get them there and back, but at five years old, there are so many things that you still do not know and you are not strong enough physically to do. You did not think about danger because you have never seen someone fall and not be able to wake them up. You could not be ready to know what to do. You are still too young. That is why mommy and daddy do not allow you to do certain things. I have rules so you will not be hurt or hurt others. When you do not follow those rules, then bad things can happen. Do you understand, Nate?"

Nate looked at his daddy right in the eyes and said, "Yes daddy. I was a bad boy. Logan got hurt because I was a bad boy."

His father said, "Nate, you are not a bad boy. What you did was wrong, you decided to do the wrong thing and because of that, some bad things happened. What do you think I should do be about what you did, Nate?"

His father looked at his son and Nate was almost in tears, but he did not break down. He said, "Daddy, you should spank me. "I took all the children to the special place and Logan got hurt.

Logan would not have gotten hurt, if I had not shown the others how to get out of the yard."

His father motioned for Nate to come forward. He placed his hands on either side of Nate's shoulders and said, "Nate, now you have explained to me what you did that was wrong. Are you going to learn from this experience, Nate? Are you going to make sure that you do the right thing the next time you find something that you should be telling me or mommy about?

Nate lowered his head and said, "Yes daddy. I have learned not to do that again and I will tell you if I find anything that could hurt any of the children or me. I am sorry, daddy. I will never do it again, daddy. I am too little to be going alone outside the fence. I did not know what could happen and what to do. I needed you."

Tom looked into his son's eyes and said, "Nate, you know what I have to do now."

Nate looked into his father's sad eyes and nodded his head.

Xxx

Downstairs, the family heard the sound of Nate getting spanked. It was only about 6 strokes on his bare bottom, with his father's bare hand, because he was so young, but they knew it would have a lasting effect on him.

Afterward, Tom picked him up and put him on his lap and Nate put his arms around his daddy's neck placed his head on his shoulder. Tom hugged the little boy telling him that he had made mistakes when he was little and that, grandpa had to teach him the same way he was being taught, but he never forgot those lessons. He said, "Nate, you learn hard lessons sometimes from making mistakes. If you did not make mistakes, you would never learn to do the right things the next time."

Nate said, "I love you daddy."

His father hugged him and said, your mommy and I love you very much, Nate and that is why I had to do what I did, because we want you to learn to be the best you can be and to learn to think before you do things that might cause you to hurt yourself or others."

XXXX

A few minutes later, the door to the study was opened and Tom walked out holding Nate's hand. . His mother and the other siblings and Jed were looking up at the two standing at the top of the stairs. Nate eyes were a little red, but he was no longer crying.

His father said "Nate, I got a call from the hospital from Logan's dad. He told me that Logan is awake. Rachel, Nate and I will be leaving for the hospital to visit Logan. I will get cleaned up. Would you please help Nate get dressed?"

XXXX

Later that night, Tom and Rachel were on the terrace of their bedroom and they were watching the stars in the perfectly clear sky. The moon was casting a light on the yard and on the ocean below. It was lovely. It had been a very rough day for their family, but good had come from it and Nate had learned a very important lesson, one that would be building his character. Rachel was so grateful that Nate and her other children had such a wonderful father and role model as the handsome, blue eyed, silver haired man, who stood behind her holding her by her shoulders, looking down at her with such admiration and love.

Tom never tired of looking at his beautiful wife, the woman who was mother to all of his children, by the bond of blood or just the bond of love. He was so proud to be her husband, to always stand beside her and to keep her and his family safe. He bent down moving her silken hair to the side, as he kissed her long slender neck. She turned around in his arms and ran her hand along his strong jaw and she placed her eager lips on his and he plunged his tongue into her mouth and they tasted their passion. He lifted her into his strong arms as if she was as light as sea nymph. He kissed her again as he carried her into their bedroom and he placed her on the silken coverlet. He lay down beside her and they took their time exploring each other as if they had never made love before. The night was theirs and the moonlight played over their naked bodies making their skin look like marble statues, both male and female, exquisite in their physical perfection,, As they molded their bodies together in the most beautiful symphony of wondrous, lush warmth and tenderness that each gave to the other, without reservation, they realized that they had never known anything like the oneness and the bond they now shared. They each knew that they had found their soul mates. They were more than lovers, more than man and wife. Knowing this, they could only thank God for letting them find each other in all that had happened and all the adventures and dangers of what had led up to their pairing. The bond they had was still growing stronger and would never be broken. This they both knew. Rachel said "The night is ours, my love. Where would you like to take me?"

Tom looked at her in the moonlight and said "I will take you to the stars, Baby Tiger."...and he did.

XXXXX

Hope you like the epilogue. It turned out to be much longer than I expected, but it felt right. Please let me know what you thought in a review.

NOTE: I have been having a bit of a hard time writing my new story because season 2, up until last night, has the Captain and Rachel very much apart and there has been no little closeness between them, not even caring looks. I really miss a relationship and the bond they shared last season. I hope that will change. At this point, I like this story better. I just needed some Tom/Rachel love going on, so I wrote this. I also love little Nate and Jessica. I had started my new story "Stand Fast" but have not been able to write more about that until I see that there are still feelings between Tom and Rachel. We may have to wait until the end of the season for them to come together again. I have to believe that Tom will come to the reality of his real feelings toward Rachel and next season should be full of them both. I certainly hope so. Underneath all of his anger, I know he still cares for her. It will come out sooner or later. Remember, we had to wait a long time for the "Kiss" and what a surprise that was.


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